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Ube  Tllnivcrsits  ot  Cbicaao  )// 


rOUNOCO  BY  JOHN  O.  ROCKKPCLLBK 


THE  ,CH£ISTOLOGY  IN  THE 
APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 


A  DISSERTATION 

SUBMITTED  TO  THE  FACULTY  OF   THE  GRADUATE  DIVINITY 

SCHOOL  IN  CANDIDACY  FOR  THE  DEGREE  OF 

DOCTOR  OF   PHILOSOPHY 

(depakthent  or  new  testamekt  language  and  utekatuke) 


BY 

ALONZO  ROSECRANS  STARK 


r^-n 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


COPTBIGHT  1912  By 

The  Unitersitt  of  Chicaoo 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Published  November  1912 


CompoMd  and  Printed  B7 

Th*  UDlT«n!t7  of  Chicago  Pr*H 

Chia«o,  IlllDoii,  U.S.A. 


OUTLINE 
Prepace 

The  divisions  of  the  thesis,  and  the  method  of  treatment. 


I.  God  the  Father  Supreme  and  the  Center  or  Interest 

The  subordination  of  Christ  most  pronounced. 

In  this  division  are  the  writings  of  Clement  of  Rome,  the  Didache,  and  the 
Fragments  of  Papias. 

n.  Christ  the  Center  of  Interest 

Less  emphasis  upon  the  idea  of  subordination.  Vast  extension  of  Christ's 
authority.  Conjoined  with  God  in  certain  important  functions  on  a  basis  of 
virtual  equality.    Prayer  offered  to  Christ.     Christ  called  God. 

In  this  division  are  the  writings  of  Ignatius,  Polycarp,  and  Second  Clement. 

III.  The  Appearance  of  the  Cosmological  Function  of  Christ 

Christ  the  Creator  and  Maintainer  of  the  universe.  Universal  dominion 
ascribed  to  Christ.    The  idea  of  subordination  recedes. 

In  this  division  belong  the  writings  of  Barnabas,  Hermas,  and  the  Epistle 
to  Diognetus. 


Hi 


CONTENTS 

rAOB 

Pkeiace xi 

BiBUOGRAPHY zii 

CHAPTU 

I.  God  the  Father  Suprehe  and  the  Center  op  Interest  i 

Introductory i 

A.  The  Letter  of  Clement  to  the  Corinthians   .       .       .       .  i 
The  Author i 

(i)  The  letter  bears  the  name  of  the  church  at  Rome 

(2)  Ancient  testimonies  to  Clement  as  the  author 

(3)  Clement  a  namesake  of  Flavins  Clemens 

(4)  Clement,  whether  a  Jew  or  a  Gentile 

The  Date 2 

(i)  In  the  reign  of  Domitian 

(2)  In  the  reign  of  Nero  or  Hadrian 

(3)  External  and  internal  evidence 

The  Object a 

(i)  A   sedition  in  the   church  at  Corinth.    Elders 

expelled 
(2)  Their  restoration  the  aim  of  the  letter 

B.  The  Didache 2 

The  Date 2 

(i)  Abundance  of  primitive  material 

(2)  Absence  of  second-century  movements 

(3)  Ancient  testimonies 

(4)  Two  methods  of  interpretation 

Place  of  Origin 3 

(i)  First  known  at  Alexandria 

(2)  Objection  to  this  origin 

(3)  External  evidence 

C.  The  Fragments  of  Papias 3 

(i)  The  author 

(2)  His  five  books  and  the  Fragments 

(3)  Christological  material 

I.  The  Christology  in  the  First  Epistle  of  Clement  ....       4 

I.  The  Relation  of  Christ  to  God 4 

(i)  Distinction  between  Christ  and  God  by  use  of  titles 
(2)  The  rank  given  to  Christ  by  titles  and  ascriptions 
(a)  Power  of  Christ 
(6)  The  pre-existence  of  Christ 
(c)  The  holiness  of  Christ 
{d)  The  knowledge  of  Christ 

V 


VI  CONTENTS 

PACK 

(3)  The  conjoining  of  Christ  with  God 

(4)  Subordination  of  Christ  to  God 

2.  The  Human  Nature  of  Christ 10 

(i)  Little  emphasis  uf>on  this  aspect  of  Christ 

(2)  His  human  descent,  body,  and  soul 

3.  The  Function  of  Christ's  Death 10 

(i)  Passages  in  which  the  function  of  his  death  is  treated 

(2)  Interpretation  of  the  passages 

4.  The  Constructive  Aspect  of  Christ's  Soteriological  Work  12 
(i)  The  whole  work  of  salvation  belongs  to  Christ 

(2)  The  place  of  the  example  of  Christ 

(3)  The  work  of  the  heavenly  Christ 

(4)  The  place  of  faith  in  salvation 

5.  The  Resurrection  and  Eschatology 13 

(i)  The  resurrection  of  Christ 

(2)  The  second  coming  of  Christ 

6.  The  Christology  of  Clement  Viewed  in  the  Light  of  the  Object 

of  the  Letter 13 

(i)  The  sanction  for  the  order  of  the  church 

(2)  Obedience  to  the  divine  order 

(3)  Lessons  from  the  rebellious  and  obedient 

II.  The  Christology  in  the  Didache 14 

1.  The  Subordination  of  Christ  to  God 14 

(i)  The  emphasis  of  the  document 

(2)  The  agency  of  Christ 

(3)  The  authority  of  Christ 

(4)  The  trinitarian  formula  in  baptism 

(5)  The  Son  of  God 

2.  Eschatology 16 

(i)  False  prophets 

(2)  The  cure  of  the  curse 

(3)  The  coming  of  Christ 

ni.  The  Christology  in  the  Fragments  of  Papias        ....     16 

(i)  Use  of  titles  the  only  hint  of  Christology 

(2)  Classified  with  Clement 
Summary  of  the  Christology  in  This  Group 17 

II.  Christ  the  Center  of  Interest 18 

Introductory 18 

A.  The  letters  of  Ignatius 18 

The  Author 18 

(i)  Knowledge  gained  of  him  on  his  journey  to  Rome 
(2)  His  Christian  life 


CONTENTS  VU 

FACE 

(3)  His  martjrdom 

(4)  Bishop  at  Antioch 

(5)  Characteristics 

The  Seven  Genuine  Letters 19 

(i)  Place  of  Writing 

(2)  The  object  of  the  letters 

The  Date 19 

B.  The  Letter  of  Polycarp 20 

The  Author 20 

(i)  Bishop  at  Smyrna 

(2)  Meeting  with  Ignatius 

(3)  Conversion 

(4)  Martyrdom 

The  Occasion  of  the  Letter 21 

(i)  The  request  of  the  Philippians 

(2)  The  reply  of  Polycarp 

(3)  The  character  of  the  letter 

The  Date 21 

C.  Second  Clement     .       .       .       .' 22 

Its  Character  as  a  Homily 22 

(i)  The  abundance  of  hortatory  appeals 
(2)  Two  decisive  expressions 

The  Author 22 

(i)  Clement  of  Rome 

(2)  Clement  of  Alexandria 

(3)  The  author  unknown 

The  Place  of  Its  Origin.    Rome.    Corinth                     .       .     23 
The  Date 23 

The  Christology  in  the  Letters  of  Ignatius 23 

1.  The  Conception  of  the  Relation  of  Christ  to  God   ...     23 
(i)  Titles  given  to  Christ  and  their  significations 

(2)  Ascriptions  to  Christ.     Pre-existence,  onmiscience,  holi- 
ness.   Prayer  addressed  to  Christ 

(3)  Christ  conjoined  with  God  in  important  acts  and  functions 

(4)  Subordination  of  Christ  to  God 

(5)  Summary  of  Christ's  relation  to  the  Father 

2.  The  Two  Natures  of  Christ 29 

(i)  Reality  of  human  nature  in  op{X)sition  to  Docetism 

(2)  The  human  in  relation  to  the  divine 

(3)  Historical  proofs  of  the  reality  of  the  human  nature 

3.  The  Death  of  Christ 30 

(i)  The  historical  fact 

(2)  Its  function 


Vm  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

(3)  Effect  of  the  death  beginning  in  eternity 

(4)  The  moral  effects  of  his  death 

4.  The  Constructive  Aspect  of  Christ's  Soteriological  Work          33 
(i)  Union  with  Christ 

(2)  The  nature  of  the  union 

(3)  The  PauUne  phrase  iv  XP"""*? 

(4)  Plain  affirmation  of  union 

(5)  Specific  effects  of  Christ's  work 

5.  Eschatology 34 

(i)  The  resurrection  of  the  believer 

(2)  The  second  coming  of  Christ 

II.  The  Christology  in  the  Letter  of  Polycarp 34 

1.  The  High  Rank  Which  the  Author  Gives  to  Christ        .       .     34 
(i)  The  extent  of  Christ's  authority 

(2)  Christ  conjoined  with  God 

(3)  The  slight  emphasis  upon  subordination 

2.  The  Function  of  Christ's  Death 36 

(i)  Different  from  Ignatius 

(2)  Christ's  death  substitutionary 

(3)  Christ's  death  an  example 

(4)  Sinlessness  of  Christ 

3.  The  Constructive  Aspect  of  Christ's  Soteriological  Work  37 
(i)  The  place  of  faith  in  salvation 

(2)  Union  with  Christ 

4.  Eschatology 38 

(i)  Return  of  Christ 

(2)  Resurrection 

(3)  Judgment 

m.  The  Christology  in  Second  Clement 38 

1.  The  Rank  Given  to  Christ 38 

(i)  The  title  God 

(2)  Christ  as  God 

(3)  The  pre-existence  of  Christ 

(4)  Slight  emphasis  upon  subordination. 

2.  Second  Clement  Different  from  Ignatius  in  Certain  Respects    40 
(i)  No  doctrine  of  the  death  of  Christ 

(2)  Constructive  aspect  of  work  lacking 

3.  Eschatology 41 

(i)  The  second  coming  of  Christ 

(2)  Christ  the  judge 

(3)  Basis  of  judgment 

Development  of  Christology  in  This  Group 42 


CONTENTS  IX 

rxcx 

in.  The  Appearance  of  the  Cosmological  Function  op  Christ  44 

Introductory 44 

A.  The  Letter  of  Barnabas 44 

The  Author 44 

(i)  Ascribed  to  Barnabas  the  apostle 

(2)  Evidence  of  authorship  from  the  letter 

The  Place  of  Origin -44 

(i)  Us  object 

(2)  The  contents 

(3)  Characteristics  of  the  letter 

(4)  Probability  in  favor  of  Alexandria  as  place  of  origin 
The  Date 45 

B.  Hermas 45 

The  Author 45 

(i)  His  home.    A  freedman.    A  brother  of  Pius,  the 
bishop 

The  Date 46 

The  Character  of  the  Work 46 

(i)  Visions 

(2)  Mandates 

(3)  Similitudes 

C.  The  Letter  to  Diognetus 46 

The  Author  46 

The  Date 46 

(i)  Great  uncertainty  about  the  date 

(2)  Similarity  of  Christ ology  to  Barnabas  and  Hermas 

The  Purpose 47 

(i)  Account  of  Christian  worship 
(2)  Defense  of  the  Christian  life 

I.  The  Christology  of  Barnabas 47 

1.  The  Rank  of  Christ 47 

(i)  Cosmological  function  of  Christ 

(2)  Spiritual  creation  the  work  of  Christ 

(3)  Christ's  power  over  death 

(4)  Pre-existence 

(s)  Authority  of  Christ 

(6)  The  place  of  subordination 

(7)  The  same  work  ascribed  to  both  Christ  and  God  the  Father 

2.  The  Function  of  Christ's  Death 49 

(i)  Types  of  his  death 

(2)  Function  of  his  death 

(3)  Primary  purpose  of  the  author 


CONTENTS 

PAOX 

3.  The  Constructive  Asj)ect  of  the  Soteriological  Work  of  Christ    50 
(i)  Graces  of  life  rather  than  faith  emphasized 

(2)  Place  of  faith 

(3)  Christ's  dwelling  in  men 

4.  Eschatology 51 

(i)  Teaching  concerning  the  Evil  One 

(2)  Nearness  of  the  end  of  the  world 

(3)  Christ  the  judge 

(4)  Order  of  events 

n.  The  Christ ology  of  Hermas 52 

1.  The  Rank  of  Christ .     52 

(i)  The  incarnate  Christ 

(2)  The  pre-existent  Christ 

(3)  The  Christ  apart  from  all  himiiliation 

2.  The  Constructive  Aspect  of  Soteriological  Work  of  Christ  56 
(i)  Baptism  a  means  of  salvation 

(2)  Salvation  by  works 

(3)  The  place  of  faith 

(4)  The  Holy  Spirit 

3.  Eschatology 58 

(i)  Judgment 

(2)  The  coming  age 

(3)  Nearness  of  the  end  of  the  world 

III.  The  Christology  of  Diognetus 58 

1.  The  Rank  of  Christ 58 

(i)  Cosmological  function 

(2)  The  place  of  subordination 

(3)  Christ's  revelation  of  God 

(4)  Pre-existence 

2.  The  Function  of  Christ's  Death 59 

3.  Christ's  Revelation  of  God 59 

The  Development  of  Christology  in  This  Group 60 


PREFACE 

From  the  christological  point  of  view,  the  writings  known  as  the 
Apostolic  Fathers  have  been  found  to  fall  into  three  stages  of  developy- 
ment.  In  the  first  group,  God  the  Father  is  supreme  and  is  the  center 
of  interest.  In  consequence  of  this  supremacy  of  the  Father,  the  sub- 
ordination of  Christ  is  most  pronounced.  Christ  is  assigned  a  high  rank, 
but  he  is  always  and  pre-eminently  the  agent  of  the  Father. 

In  this  division  belong  the  writings  of  Clement  of  Rome,  the  Didache, 
and  the  Fragments  of  Papias. 

In  the  second  group  of  writings,  Christ  is  the  center  of  interest. 
Less  emphasis  is  put  uf)on  the  idea  of  his  subordination.  His  authority 
is  vastly  extended.  He  is  conjoined  with  God  in  certain  important 
functions  on  a  basis  of  virtual  equality.  Prayer  is  offered  to  Christ. 
He  is  frequently  called  God  in  a  limited  sense,  and  finally  he  is  called 
God  in  the  absolute  sense. 

Here  belong  the  writings  of  Ignatius,  Polycarp,  and  Second  Clement. 

In  the  third  group  of  writings  the  cosmological  function  of  Christ 
appears.  He  is  the  Creator  and  Maintainer  of  the  universe.  His 
authority  is  so  extended  that  now  universal  dominion  is  ascribed  to  him. 
The  idea  of  subordination  has  almost  disappeared,  and  the  equality  of 
Christ  with  God  is  fully  recognized. 

The  writings  of  Barnabas  and  Hennas  and  the  Epistle  to  Diognetus 
belong  here. 

This  dissertation  examines  in  detail  the  christological  teachings  of 
each  writer  in  the  group.  In  the  summary  at  the  end  of  each  group,  the 
relation  of  each  writer  to  the  dominant  ideas  of  the  group  is  set  forth, 
and  an  attempt  is  made  to  show  just  what  each  writer  contributes  to 
these  ideas.  After  examining  the  writers  of  each  period,  an  effort  is  made 
to  show  also  the  precise  elements  in  one  group  which  are  in  advance,  from 
a  christological  point  of  view,  over  the  preceding  division. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Lightfoot,  J.  B.    Apostolic  Fathers,  Ignatius  and  Polycarp,  Vob.  I,  U,  III. 

1885. 
Ribagnac,  Adolphe.     La  christologie  du  Pasteur  d'Hermas.     1887. 
J.  Rendel  Harris.     The  Teaching  of  the  Apostles.     1887. 
Lightfoot,  J.  B.    Apostolic  Fathers,  Clement  of  Rome,  Vols.  I,  II.    1890. 
Schaff,  Philip.     The  Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles.     1890. 
Dorner,  J.  A.    History  of  the  Development  of  the  Doctrine  of  the  Person  of  Christ, 

Div.  I,  Vol.  I.     1891. 
Cruttwell,  C.  T.    A  Literary  History  of  Early  Christianity.     1893. 
Hort,  J.  F.  A.     The  ante-Nicene  Fathers.     1895. 
Goltz,  Eduard  Freihernn  von  der.     Ignatius  von  Antiochien  als  Christ  und 

Theologe.     {Texte  und   Untersuchungen  zur  Geschichte  der  altchristlichen 

Litteratur  bis  Eusebius,  B.  12.)     1895. 
Hamack,  A.     The  History  of  Dogma,  Vol.  I.     1896. 
Fbher,  J.  P.    History  of  Christian  Doctrine.     1896. 
Kxiiger,  G.    History  of  Early  Christian  Literature.     1897. 
Harnack,  A.     Geschichte  der  altchristlichen  Litteratur  his  Eusebius,  Vol.  I.    1897 , 

Vol.  n.     1904. 
Scherer,  W.    Der  erste  Clemensbrief  an  die  Coriniher.     1902. 
Pfleiderer,  Otto.    Das  Urchristentum,  Vol.  II.     1902.    Eng.  Trans.,  Primitive 

Christianity,  Vol.  888.     19 10. 
Swete,  H.  B.    Patristic  Study.     1902. 

Wernle,  Paul.    Die  Anfdnge  unserer  Religion.    Eng.  Trans.,  Vol.  II.     1903. 
Gebhardt,  Harnack,  and  Zahn.    Patrum  Apostolicorum  Opera.     1906. 
Goodspeed,  E.  J.    Index  Patristicus.     1907. 
Farrar,  F.  W.    Lives  of  the  Fathers,  Vol.  I.     1907. 
Newman,  A.  H.    A  Manual  of  Church  History,  Vol.  I.     1907. 
Harnack,  A.     The  Mission  and  Expansion  of  Christianity,  Vol.  I.     1908. 
Burton,  E.  D.,  Smith,  J.  M.  P.,  Smith,  G.  B.    Biblical  Ideas  of  Atonement. 

1909. 
Granberry,  J.  C,  Outline  of  New  Testament  Christology.     1909. 
Deissmaim,  G.  A.    Light  from  the  Ancient  East.     1910. 


CHAPTER  I 
GOD  THE  FATHER  IS  SUPREME  AND  IS  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST 

Introductory 
a.  the  letter  of  clement  to  the  corinthians 

The  author. — The  letter  bears  the  name  of  the  church  at  Rome,  and 
not  that  of  an  individual.  The  opening  words  are:  "The  church  of 
God  which  sojourneth  at  Rome  to  the  church  of  God  which  sojoumeth  at 
Corinth."  The  name  of  the  writer  of  the  letter  is  nowhere  mentioned  in 
the  letter.  From  this  it  is  evident  that  whoever  wrote  it,  he  wrote  as  the 
representative  of  the  church  at  Rome.  It  is  a  letter  from  one  church  to 
another  church.  There  are  sufficient  grounds,  however,  for  assigning 
the  letter  to  Clement,  who  is  reckoned  the  third  bishop  of  Rome.  Light- 
foot  and  Hamack  agree  in  putting  his  term  of  office  from  about  90  to 
100  A.D.  Eusebius  (IV.  23)  quotes  parts  of  a  letter  from  Dionysius, 
bishop  at  Corinth  about  170  a.d.,  in  which  Dionysius  says:  "Today  we 
have  passed  the  Lord's  holy  day,  in  which  we  have  read  your  epistle. 
From  it,  whenever  we  read  it,  we  shall  always  be  able  to  draw  advice, 
as  also  through  the  former  epistle,  which  was  written  to  us  through 
Clement."  Eusebius  says  that  Hegesippus,  who  visited  at  Corinth  and 
Rome  about  170  a.d.,  made  some  remarks  about  the  letter  of  Clement 
to  the  Corinthians.  But  he  does  not  state  what  the  remarks  were. 
Hamack  quotes  Irenaeus,  who  lived  from  130  to  202  a.d.,  as  saying  that 
he  had  read  of  a  sedition  which  had  arisen  in  Corinth,  and  that  Clement 
had  written  a  letter  about  it.  There  is  much  to  favor  the  position  of 
Lightfoot,  that  Clement,  who  wrote  the  letter  and  was  the  bishop  of 
Rome,  was  a  freedman  and  namesake  of  Flavius  Clemens,  the  consul 
and  cousin  of  the  emperor  Domitian.  Some  have  sought  to  identify  the 
consul  and  the  bishop.  The  weight  of  scholarship,  however,  is  on  the 
side  of  Lightfoot 's  conclusions.  There  is  more  difference  of  opinion 
about  whether  Clement  was  a  Jew  or  a  Gentile.  Lightfoot  and  Lemme 
claim  that  he  was  a  Jew,  while  Harnack  and  Wrede  claim  that  he  was  a 
Gentile*  Both  opinions  rest  upon  the  internal  proofs  furnished  by  the 
letter  itself.  His  knowledge  of  the  Septuagint  furnishes  a  strong  argu- 
ment for  his  Jewish  nationality.  He  not  merely  quotes  the  Septuagint 
freely,  but  he  b  permeated  with  its  style  and  ideas.  On  the  other  hand, 
he  shows  no  familiarity  with  Greek  and  Roman  literature,  such  as  would 
be  expected  of  a  man  holding  his  position  if  he  had  been  a  Gentile. 


2  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

The  dale. — It  is  the  generally  received  opinion  that  the  document 
belongs  at  about  the  close  of  Domitian's  reign,  or  soon  after  (95  or  96 
a.d).'  a  few  scholars  assign  the  letter  to  the  close  of  Nero's  reign,  and 
others  take  the  extreme  position  of  assigning  it  to  the  reign  of  Hadrian. 
In  addition  to  the  external  testimonies  quoted  above,  the  internal  evi- 
dence points  to  the  reign  of  Domitian  rather  than  the  reign  of  Nero. 
The  view  of  the  Corinthian  church  as  ancient  moves  the  letter  away  from 
the  earlier  date,  and  the  reference  to  Paul  and  Peter  as  belonging  to  our 
generation  forbids  giving  the  letter  the  extreme  date  suggested  by 
Volkmar  and  others. 

The  object. — ^A  sedition  has  arisen  in  the  church  at  Corinth.  Elders 
who  were  appointed  by  the  apostles  have  been  thrust  out.  This  letter 
aims  to  secure  the  restoration  of  these  elders  to  their  ofl&ce,  and  to  lead 
the  rebellious  to  repentance  and  to  submission  to  the  properly  consti- 
tuted oflScers  of  the  church.  All  christological  teaching  is  aside  from  the 
main  purpose  of  the  letter,  and  such  Christology  as  the  letter  contains 
is  presented  by  way  of  illustration  of  his  theme,  and  for  the  purpose  of 
enforcing  the  duty  of  subjection  upon  the  elders. 

B.    THE   DIDACHE 

The  date. — The  Didache  abounds  in  primitive  material.  The 
picture  of  church  life  given  here  is  that  of  a  very  early  period.  Prophets 
are  the  chief  teachers  and  are  not  yet  superseded  by  bishops.  The 
Agape  and  Eucharist  are  observed  as  one  feast.  The  Christology  is 
very  closely  allied  to  First  Clement.  In  keeping  with  these  positive 
marks  of  its  early  origin  is  the  absence  of  any  trace  in  it  of  the  move- 
ment which  agitated  the  church  in  the  second  century.  There  is  no 
sign  of  Ebionism,  nor  of  Gnosticism,  which  were  felt  early  in  the  second 
century.  There  is  the  recognition  of  false  teachers,  but  no  such  opposi- 
tion to  Judaism  as  Barnabas  shows.  The  ancient  testimonies  to  the 
work  are  not  numerous.  Eusebius  knows  the  work,  and  calls  it  the 
"so-called  teachings  of  apostles."'  Clement  of  Alexandria  quotes  from 
it  as  Scripture.  It  is  possible  that  Irenaeus  makes  a  reference  to  it. 
Some  have  tried  to  see  some  connection  with  First  Clement  through  the 
use  of  Christemporos.3  Schlecht's  Latin  probably  represents  a  Greek 
original  which  is  shorter  than  the  Greek  document  which  we  have. 

These  facts  admit  of  two  interpretations.  First,  the  primitive 
material  may  have  come  from  some  out-of-the-way  district  where  it 

'  Lightfoot,  Apostolic  Fathers,  Clement,  I,  346. 

'  B.E.  III.  3 1  Clement  1:10;  Dis.  13 : 5. 


GOD  THE  FATHER  SUPREME  AND  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST     3 

has  been  unaffected  by  the  movements  of  the  age.  In  this  way  Haraack 
thinks  that  it  is  possible  to  make  the  date  as  late  as  i6o  a.d.,  though 
he  says  that  the  material  fits  better  in  the  period  80-120  than  120-60. 
Still,  because  of  the  fixed  form  of  fasts  and  prayers,  the  established  order 
of  the  prophets,  and  the  corruption  that  has  grown  up  among  them, 
the  improbability  that  it  would  have  been  composed  until  some  time  after 
the  death  of  the  apostles,  and  the  priority  of  Barnabas  to  the  Didache, 
he  thinks  that  this  originated  shortly  after  131  a.d.  Secondly,  more 
weight  may  be  given  to  the  primitive  nature  of  the  material  and  con- 
sequently an  earlier  date  assigned  to  it,  say  from  80-120.  So  Schaff, 
Lightfoot,  and  others. 

The  use  of  Matthew  furnishes  a  means  for  determining  the  earliest 
limits  of  its  origin,  as  the  Didache  in  chap.  VIII  quotes  Matthew's 
version  of  the  Lord's  Prayer.  Still  this  is  not  a  certain  guaranty  of 
its  earliest  date,  as  the  sources  of  Matthew's  Gospel  might  have  been 
used  in  the  Didache.  If  it  be  granted  that  the  quotation  is  from  the 
Gospel  of  Matthew,  this  makes  it  necessary  to  put  the  Didache  some 
time  in  the  second  century  as  the  time  of  its  earliest  origin,  as  the  present 
tendency  is  to  give  a  late  date  to  the  Gospel  of  Matthew,  Burkitt  placing 
it  from  90-100. 

Place  of  origin. — The  Didache  came  into  the  stream  of  history  at 
Alexandria.  But  for  one  statement  there  would  probably  be  no  one  to 
question  that  some  out-of-the-way  district  in  Egypt  was  the  place  of  its 
origin.  In  the  eucharistic  thanksgiving  IX.  4,  are  the  words:  "As  this 
broken  bread  was  scattered  upon  the  mountains,  and  being  gathered 
together  became  one."  Schaflf  regards  these  words  as  an  insuperable 
objecUon  to  its  Egyptian  origin.  They  may,  however,  be  understood 
as  an  Old  Testament  allusion.  The  first  appearance  of  the  Didache  in 
Egypt,  its  use  there  as  witnessed  by  Athanasius,  and  the  origin  of 
Barnabas'  letter  in  Alexandria  give  the  weight  of  the  argument  in  favor 
of  its  origin  in  Egypt. 

C.    THE   FRAGMENTS   OF  PAPIAS 

The  fragments  furnish  no  material  for  a  Christology  and  merely  need 
to  be  mentioned.  Papias  was  bishop  of  Hierapolis,  and  flourished  about 
140  a.d.  Harnack  puts  the  date  of  his  birth  at  about  80  a.d.  ;  Lightfoot 
puts  it  ten  years  earlier.  Irenaeus  says  that  he  was  a  companion  of 
Polycarp  and  a  hearer  of  John.  Ancient  testimony  agrees  that  he  wrote 
five  books  on  the  teachings  of  Christ.  Jerome  gives  as  the  title  of  his 
work,  Expositions  of  the  Discourses  of  the  Lord. 


4  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOUC  FATHERS 

I.    The  Christology  in  the  First  Epistle  of  Clement 

I.     THE  RELATION  OF  CHRIST  TO  GOD 

(i)  The  author  maintains  a  careful  distinction  between 
Christ  and  God  by  his  use  of  titles 

Three  titles  are  applied  to  God  exclusively:  ^<o?,  Barirorrj^,  and 
Brjfuovpyo^.  Kvpio^  is  applied  to  both  God  and  Christ,  It  is  used  of 
Christ  often,  of  God  only  sparingly.  In  the  quotations  of  Scripture  the 
author  follows  the  Septuagint,  and  so  retains  both  KvpuK  and  6  xvpuK 
as  designations  of  Cjod.  And  even  this  small  number  must  be  reduced 
in  importance  by  the  consideration  that  in  four  instances  in  which  he 
uses  KvpiXK  of  God,  he  may  have  been  influenced  by  the  Septuagint. 
Chap.  53:3  furnishes  a  clear  example  of  such  an  influence  where  the 
short  statement  etircv  Kupto^  irpos  avrov  is  set  in  the  midst  of  a  quotation 
from  the  Septuagint.  This  leaves  only  five  times  that  he  independently 
applies  Kvpioi  to  God.  This  manifest  preference  for  the  word  Sco-ttoti;? 
to  designate  God  is  significant.  The  old  distinction  between  Sfo-irori/s 
and  Kvpioi  does  not  continue  in  the  time  of  our  author.  Of  this  dis- 
tinction Archbishop  Trench,  New  Testament  Synonyms,  p.  53,  says: 
"There  lies  in  Kvpios  the  sense  of  authority  owning  limitations — moral 
limitations  it  may  be;  while  the  Sco-jtoti;?  exercises  a  more  unrestricted 
power  and  absolute  domination,  confessing  no  such  limitations  or 
restraints.  The  Greeks  refused  the  title  of  Sta-rrorrj^  to  any  but  their 
gods."  While  this  early  distinction  has  been  lost,  Philo  seeks  to  make 
something  out  of  it,  and  says  as  quoted  by  Trench  in  the  reference  above: 
"ScoTTOTiT?  is  not  Kvpios  but  <^o/8«pos  Kvpios,  and  implies  on  the  part 
of  him  who  uses  it  a  more  entire  prostration  of  self  before  the  might  and 
majesty  of  God  than  KvpuK  would  have  done."  The  fact  cannot  be 
questioned  that  Clement  shows  a  decided  preference  for  Sco-itott/s  over 
KvpuK  as  a  name  for  God,  and  applies  the  latter  to  him  sparingly.  The 
significance  of  this  use  permits  of  more  than  one  interpretation.  In  his 
desire  to  avoid  confusion  and  keep  the  distinction  clear  between  Christ 
and  God,  he  may  have  chosen  for  God  the  term  Scottott/v  with  the 
feeling  that  something  of  the  old  dignity  still  clung  to  the  word,  and  he 
wished  to  express  by  it  his  sense  of  the  higher  exaltation  of  God.  Or 
the  use  may  signify  nothing  more  than  the  desire  to  avoid  confusion. 
But  the  whole  attitude  of  Clement  toward  the  unique  majesty  of  God 
lends  support  to  the  view  that  he  sought  to  indicate  this  majesty  in  some 
measure  by  the  use  of  the  word  Bctrirorrj^. 


GOD  THE  FATHER  SUPREME  AND  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST     5 

(2)  The  author  assigns  to  Christ  a  unique  relation  to  God  by  the  titles  which 
he  gives  to  him,  and  the  ascriptions  which  he  makes  to  him. 

a)  The  power  of  Christ. — His  conception  of  the  power  of  Christ  is 
indicated  by  the  titles  "Lord,"  "Son,"  "High  Priest,"  "Savior," 
"Helper,"  and  "Patron."  The  dignity  conveyed  by  these  titles  cannot 
be  determined  from  the  words  themselves,  but  must  be  learned  from  the 
force  which  the  author  gives  them.  Christ  has  power  and  authority 
over  the  spiritual  life  of  believers.  He  calls  them,  protects  them,  sancti- 
fies them;  he  is  their  high  priest,  savior,  helper;  they  are.  his  elect, 
his  flock;  and  they  must  obey  him.  This  spiritual  work  exhausts  the 
work  that  is  denoted  by  any  of  his  titles.  He  is  Lord,  but  only  over  the 
spiritual  life  of  believers.  He  is  the  Son  seated  at  the  right  hand  of 
God.  The  author  uses  "  son  "  not  to  denote  moral  likeness  on  the  ground 
of  which  he  may  be  called  son.  Rather  by  this  term  he  means  akin  to 
God  in  nature;  he  is  using  "son"  in  the  metaphysical  sense.  The 
ascription  to  him  of  a  place  at  the  right  hand  of  God  denotes  his  parti- 
dparion  in  the  administration  with  God,  his  Father.  But  when  we 
seek  the  nature  and  extent  of  his  administration,  the  answer  is  clear: 
he  deals  with  the  spiritual  life  of  believers.  In  36: 2,  he  declares  Christ 
is  "the  reflection  of  the  majesty  of  God."  Here  Clement  is  following 
Heb.  1:3.  But  he  has  confused  the  meaning  somewhat  by  substituting 
fKyaXuxrwrp  for  ^o^rfi.  The  passage  in  Hebrews  declares  that  Christ 
is  the  reflection  of  the  absolute  perfection  of  the  Deity.  Clement,  by 
the  word  which  he  uses,  calls  attention  to  the  governing  power  of  the 
Deity.  But  Clement  has  made  a  mistake  in  his  use  of  the  word,  for  the 
idea  which  he  wishes  to  express,  as  the  context  shows,  is  the  moral  per- 
fection of  God  as  reflected  in  Christ.  In  16: 2,  by  the  use  of  the  phrase 
"the  scepter  of  his  majesty,"  he  calls  attention  to  the  governing  power 
of  God.  The  scepter  is  the  symbol  of  power.  The  application  of  the 
figure  to  Christ  signifies  that  royal  majesty  has  been  transferred  to  him. 
The  majesty  of  God  is  represented  in  him.'  But  in  what  field,  and  to 
what  extent,  does  he  represent  the  imperial  majesty?  His  work  is 
limited  to  the  spiritual  life  of  believers.  This  limitation  of  the  power 
of  Christ  is  made  still  more  sharp  by  the  consideration  of  two  negative 
aspects  of  his  work.  He  is  not  said  to  have  dominion  over  all  men,  or 
over  the  whole  life  of  believers.  Universality  of  dominion  is  assigned 
to  God  alone,  and  he  alone  creates  and  preserves  men.    This  leads  to  the 

'  Dorner,  Doctrine  of  the  Person  of  Christ,  Div.  I,  Vol.  I,  p.  loi. 


6  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

second  negative  aspect  of  Christ's  work.  No  cosmological  function  is 
assigned  to  him.  And  the  failure  to  assign  such  a  fvinction  to  Christ 
is  not  because  Clement  omits  this  subject.  He  has  much  to  say  of  pre- 
servation and  creation,  but  God  is  alone  in  this  work.  See  19:2:  "the 
Father  and  maker  of  the  whole  world";  26:1:  "the  Creator  of  the 
universe";  27:4:  "by  the  word  of  his  majesty  He  compacted  the 
universe."    Many  other  passages  might  be  cited. 

From  three  passages  attempts  have  been  made  to  identify  Christ 
as  the  agent  of  God  in  creation.  The  passage  quoted  above  (27:4)  is 
thus  interpreted  by  Domer.'  He  says  that  the  "word  of  his  majesty" 
is  the  pre-existent  Christ.  He  gives  as  the  reason  of  this  identification 
that  Clement  frequently  applies  ixeyaXiMTvrj  to  Christ;  that  he  was 
familiar  with  Paul's  cosmological  teaching  and  also  with  the  teaching 
of  the  author  to  the  Hebrews.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  Clement  uses  the 
word  only  eight  times,  and  in  five  of  these  instances  it  refers  without  the 
possibility  of  a  doubt  to  God.  This  leaves  only  two  instances  in  which 
the  word  is  used  in  reference  to  Christ,  outside  of  the  passage  under 
discussion.  Clement's  usage,  therefore,  affords  no  presiunption  in  favor 
of  the  application  of  the  term  to  Christ,  but  rather  the  contrary.  It  can 
be  so  applied,  but  only  on  the  basis  of  an  argument  from  the  context. 
The  connection,  however,  in  which  the  phrase  occurs,  "by  the  word  of 
his  majesty,"  gives  no  hint  that  it  means  Christ,  and  such  an  interpre- 
tation is  in  conflict  with  the  whole  letter  of  Clement,  which  assigns  crea- 
tion to  God.  W.  Scherer  also  attempts  to  make  Christ  the  creator.' 
In  59:3,  Scherer  identifies  "Lord"  with  Christ  in  the  prayer:  "Grant 
imto  us  Lord."  Lightfoot  brackets  these  words  in  this  place,  and 
Gebhardt,  Hamack,  and  Zahn  omit  them  altogether.  But  even  if 
they  are  retained,  they  would  clearly  refer  to  God  as  the  primal  source 
of  all  creation,  and  add  but  one  more  to  the  small  number  of  passages  in 
which  he  calls  God  Kvpto?.  In  the  immediately  preceding  context  God 
the  creator  is  expressly  distinguished  from  "his  beloved  son  Jesus 
Christ."  And  immediately  following,  the  primal  source  of  creation 
is  called  God — "who  alone  art  the  benefactor  of  spirits  and  the  God  of 
all  flesh."  Our  author,  moreover,  in  no  other  place  calls  Christ  Oeot. 
In  2:1,  Clement  says:  "And  ye  were  all  lowly  in  mind  and  free  from 
arrogance,  yielding  rather  than  claiming  submission,  more  glad  to  give 
than  to  receive,  and  content  with  the  provisions  which  Christ  supplieth. 
And  giving  heed  imto  his  words,  ye  laid  them  up  diligently  in  your 

»  Doctrine  of  the  Person  of  Christ,  pp.  356,  357. 

*  Scherer,  Der  erste  Clemensbrief  an  die  Corinther,  S.  15^-61. 


GOD  THE  FATHER  SUPREME  AND  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST     7 

hearts,  and  his  sufferings  were  before  your  eyes."  Here  Scherer  identifies 
Christ  with  God,  and  then  reasons  that  Christ  b  the  creator  of  all  things, 
"and  consequently  uncreated  and  therefore  God."  While  the  reading 
here  is  in  dispute,  Gebhardt,  Hamack,  and  Zahn  read  nv  Xpurrm,  the 
reading  for  which  Scherer  contends.  But  in  vs.  3  the  subject  changes  to 
"Almighty  God"  as  the  object  of  the  Christians'  prayer,  and  there  is 
little  justification  for  thinking  that  Clement  intends  to  apply  deo?  to 
Christ.    The  two  persons  are  constantly  kept  clearly  distinct. 

b)  The  pre-existence  af  Christ. — The  author  shows  his  belief  in  Christ's 
pre-existence  in  three  different  ways.  In  16:2  his  declaration  involves 
pre-existence.  He  says:  "The  scepter  of  the  majesty  of  God,  even 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  came  not  in  the  p>omp  or  arrogance  of  pride,  though 
he  might  have  done  so."  He  declares  that  Christ  spoke  parts  of  the 
Old  Testament  through  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  22:1,  he  says:  "Now  all 
these  things  the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  confirmeth;  for  he  himself 
through  the  Holy  Spirit  inviteth  us."  Then  he  follows  this  statement 
with  a  quotation  from  the  Septuagint  of  Ps.  53:1-12.  In  the  passage 
from  Isaiah  concerning  the  suffering  servant  (53:1-12),  he  represents 
Christ  himself  as  speaking  a  part  of  this  chapter.  In  15:16,  he  says: 
"And  again  he  himself  says."    He  identifies  Christ  with  this  speaker. 

c)  The  holiness  of  Christ. — In  23:5,  he  identifies  Christ  with  the 
"Holy  One."  In  two  instances  the  work  of  Christ  suggests  the  infer- 
ence that  he  is  holy,  if  it  does  not  positively  involve  such  an  inference, 
as  Scherer  maintains.'  In  chap.  36,  men  look  up  to  heaven  and  taste 
immortal  knowledge  through  fixing  the  eyes  upon  Jesus.  By  calling 
Christ  (36:2)  "the  reflection  of  the  majesty  of  God,"  and  from  the 
connection  of  this  passage  with  Heb.  1:3,  he  presents  Christ  as  the  one 
who  reveals  the  perfection  of  the  Deity.  In  7:4,  Christ  wins  for  the 
whole  world  the  grace  of  repentance.  Whatever  interpretation  may  be 
put  upon  this  passage,  he  who  takes  away  sin,  either  by  bearing  the 
penalty  of  sin  or  by  his  marvelous  exhibition  of  love  in  death  winning 
men  away  from  sin,  must  himself  be  a  holy  being. 

d)  The  knowledge  of  Christ. — ^The  author  gives  no  reliable  hint  of 
his  thought  about  Christ's  knowledge.  Whatever  opinion  he  may  have 
held  regarding  the  omniscience  of  Christ,  he  has  not  made  it  known  to  us. 
Violence  is  done  to  the  simple  statement  of  the  writer  if  one  attempts  to 
construe  4:41  into  a  declaration  of  the  onmiscience  of  Christ.  Here 
he  says:  "And  our  apostles  knew  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  that 
there  would  be  strife  over  the  name  of  the  bishop's  office."    From  this 

*  Der  ersle  CUmensbrief  an  die  Corinlher,  S.  181. 


8  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

statement  Scherer  concludes  that  in  Christ  lay  concealed  all  the  treasures 
of  science  and  of  wisdom,  and  that  before  his  eyes  the  veil  of  the  future 
was  lifted.'  But  such  a  statement  implies  no  more  knowledge  than  in 
the  case  of  the  apostle  Paul  when  he  tells  the  Ephesian  elders  that  they 
may  expect  trouble  in  the  church.  In  Acts  20:29,  he  says:  "I  know 
that  after  my  departing  grievous  wolves  shall  enter  in  among  you,  not 
sparing  the  flock."  Such  a  statement  rests  upon  an  understanding  of  the 
situation,  and  implies  only  human  foresight.  Nothing  more  than  this 
can  be  gained  from  Clement's  statement  regarding  the  knowledge  of 
Christ.  In  23 : 5,  he  barely  refers  to  a  day  of  judgment.  Here  Christ  is 
the  *  'Holy  One,"  who  will  suddenly  come  to  his  temple. 

(3)  The  conjoining  of  Christ  with  God 

The  author  conjoins  Christ  with  God  in  such  a  way  that  he  shows  the 
exaltation  of  Christ.  Most  important  are  two  trinitarian  passages. 
We  read  in  46:6:  "Have  we  not  one  God,  and  one  Christ,  and  one  spirit 
of  grace  that  was  shed  upon  us ?"  Still  more  significant  is  58: 2:  "For 
as  God  liveth,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  liveth,  and  the  Holy  Spirit, 
who  are  the  faith  and  hope  of  the  elect."  Dorner  and  Scherer  have  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  this  statement  is  the  form  of  the  oath  employed 
in  the  Old  Testament  (Deut.  6:13),  "as  God  liveth."  Lightfoot  also 
points  out  the  similarity  of  this  statement  to  the  baptismal  formula 
in  Matt.  28:3.  It  has  been  contended  that  great  significance  belongs 
to  the  fact  that  these  three  names  are  joined  together  in  the  form  of  the 
oath.  However,  the  names  of  men  were  joined  with  God  in  the  form  of 
an  oath,  as  in  I  Sam.  25 :36:  "Now  therefore,  my  lord,  as  Jehovah  liveth, 
and  as  thy  soul  liveth";  also  the  same  form  is  seen  in  II  Sam.  15:21: 
"As  Jehovah  liveth,  and  as  my  lord  the  king  liveth."  Still  further  it  is 
maintained  that  it  is  significant  that  three  persons  are  made  conjointly 
the  foundation  of  the  faith  and  hope  of  the  elect.  From  this  Scherer 
concludes  (p.  146):  "It  is  the  essential  Deity  which  the  author  assigns 
to  the  persons."  Dorner  also  maintains  that  the  work  of  salvation 
involves  Deity  even  more  clearly  than  the  work  of  creation.'  In  fact, 
however,  what  Clement  ascribes  to  Christ  in  union  with  the  Father  and 
Spirit  is  not  deity,  but  only  the  work  which  he  has  already  ascribed  to 
Christ  alone  in  other  places,  that  is,  the  work  of  salvation.  The  new 
element  here  is  that  the  three  are  put  together  on  an  equality  so  far  as  this 
work  is  concerned.    By  virtue  of  this  implied  equality  in  the  work 

'  Der  ersU  Ckmensbrkf  an  die  Corinther,  S.  168. 
»  Doraer,  op.  cU.,  I,  100. 


GOD  THE  FATHER  SUPREME  AND  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST     9 

of  salvation,  the  language  certainly  conveys  an  exalted  conception  of 
Christ. 

In  two  instances  the  same  doxology  is  used  in  respect  to  Christ 
which  in  other  places  is  used  of  God.  In  20:12,  he  says:  "Our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  the  glory  and  the  majesty  forever  and  ever." 
And  in  59:7  glory  is  ascribed  to  Christ.  Outside  of  these  doxologies, 
Clement  has  declared  that  majesty  and  glory  belong  to  Christ  without 
implying  his  deity.  To  throw  this  declaration  into  the  form  of  a  doxol- 
ogy does  not  essentially  change  the  meaning.  Clement  undoubtedly 
holds  a  very  exalted  conception  of  Jesus. 

(4)  The  subordination  of  Christ  to  God 

This  subordination  appears  when  Christ  takes  the  position  of  God's 
agent.  The  whole  of  Christ's  work  is  done  as  the  agent  of  God.  God 
gives  grace  and  peace  through  Christ;  he  shows  mercy  through  Christ. 
He  calls  and  instructs  men  through  Christ.  In  the  agent,  Clement  does 
not  lose  sight  of  God  back  of  the  agent.  Christ  works  not  only  in  har- 
mony with  the  will  of  God,  but  in  obedience  to  it.  God  sent  Christ 
as  Christ  sent  the  apostles.  Christ  is  governed  in  his  work  by  the  will 
of  God.  However,  there  is  no  suggestion  of  force  in  the  rule  of  God  over 
Christ.  By  love  and  compassion,  Christ  was  moved  to  his  work  of 
salvation.' 

In  his  resurrection  is  seen  Christ's  subordination  to  God.  In  24:1, 
it  is  said:  "  whereof  he  made  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  the  first  fruit,  when  he 
raised  him  from  the  dead." 

The  author  shows  a  distinctly  different  attitude  toward  God  from 
that  which  he  takes  toward  Christ  in  many  particulars.  He  emphasizes 
repeatedly  the  supremacy  of  God.  He  is  almighty,  omniscient,  all- 
holy;  he  created  and  preserves  all  things;  men  offer  prayer  to  him;  men 
worship  God;  and  they  must  fear  him.  The  resurrection  offers  an  oppor- 
tunity for  Clement  to  enlarge  upon  the  power  of  God  as  seen  in  nature. 
He  says  in  24: 5:  "The  sower  goeth  forth  and  casteth  into  the  earth  each 
of  the  seeds;  and  these  falling  into  the  earth  dry  and  bare  decay;  then 
out  of  their  decay  the  mightiness  of  the  Master's  [tov  SeoTrdrov]  provi- 
dence raiseth  them  up,  and  from  being  one  they  increase  manifold  and 
bear  fruit."  And  again  in  26:  i,  he  says:  "Do  we  think  it  to  be  a  great 
and  marvellous  thing,  if  the  creator  of  the  universe  shall  bring  about 
the  resurrection  of  them  that  have  served  him?"  Omnipotence  is 
ascribed  so  repeatedly  to  God  alone  that  the  writer  makes  a  wide  separa- 

« Int.  32:4;  42:12;  49:6. 


lO  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

tion  between  God  and  all  other  beings.  All  the  universe  is  under  sub- 
jection to  God.  Nature  renews  itself  in  obedience  to  his  laws;  and  the 
breath  of  men  is  from  Almighty  God.  Christ  forms  no  exception  to  the 
universal  supremacy  of  God.  God  works  through  Christ.  But  back 
of  the  agent,  the  supreme  author  of  the  work  stands  transcendent  in 
power  and  authority.  The  authority  of  God  is  consequently  unique 
and  absolute.  The  love  of  Christ,  which  is  the  foundation  of  mercy,  is 
plainly  declared.  But  God  alone  has  authority  to  exercise  mercy.  It 
is  not  a  question  in  regard  to  the  spirit  of  either  Christ  or  God.  It  is 
entirely  a  matter  of  authority.  And  here  the  supremacy  of  God  is  made 
emphatic.  To  him  prayer  is  offered;  to  him  thanksgiving  is  rendered 
for  all  benefits.  The  whole  attitude  of  dependence  upon  the  power 
and  mercy  of  God  and  of  prayer  to  him  differs  widely  from  the  attitude 
taken  toward  Christ.  Omnipotence,  omniscience,  creation,  preserva- 
tion, universal  dominion  are  ascribed  to  God,  but  never  to  Christ. 

2.     THE  HUMAN   NATURE   OF   CHRIST 

Clement  constantly  assvmies  and  clearly  recognizes  the  human 
nature  of  Christ,  though  he  gives  but  little  attention  to  this  aspect  of 
his  nature.  In  32:2,  his  descent  is  traced  to  Abraham  according  to 
the  flesh.  The  phrase  "according  to  the  flesh"  shows  clearly  that  this 
account  of  Christ  does  not  exhaust  Clement's  conception  of  him.  Christ 
was  more  than  human.  In  49:6,  he  speaks  of  his  body  and  soul.  In 
other  places  he  represents  Christ  as  sharing  the  nature  common  to 
men  when  he  speaks  of  Christ  as  enduring  hardships  and  suffering, 
physical  death. 

3.     THE  FUNCTION  OF  CHRIST's  DEATH 

Clement  speaks  of  the  function  of  Christ's  death  in  the  following 

five  passages:   7:4;    12:7;    16:3-16;    21:6;   49:6.    There  is  one  other 

reference  which  has  some  value  for  this  subject  in  20: 11,  where  he  says: 

'have  taken  refuge  in  his  compassionate  mercy  through  our  Lord 

Jesus  Christ." 

It  forms  no  part  of  the  author's  purpose  to  set  forth  any  doctrine 
concerning  the  atonement.  His  use  of  the  death  of  Christ  has  for  its 
object  the  practical  purpose  of  leading  the  faction  in  the  church  to  repent- 
ance, to  reinstatement  of  the  elders,  and  to  submission  to  the  rule  of 
the  divinely  appointed  oflScers. 

In  7:4  Clement  makes  three  statements  concerning  the  blood  of 
Christ:  (i)  The  blood  of  Christ  is  precious  unto  the  Father;  (2)  it  was 
shed  for  the  salvation  of  men;    (3)  and  it  has  brought  the  grace  of 


GOD  THE  FATHER  SUPREME  AND  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST    II 

repentance  to  the  whole  world.  Clement  in  this  passage,  and  in  all  the 
others  relating  to  this  subject,  is  treating  of  the  death  of  Christ,  and  not 
of  his  life.  The  value  of  the  death  of  Christ  is  related  in  some  way  to 
God.  It  may  mean  that  the  kind  of  conduct  which  is  displayed  in  the 
death  of  Christ  is  that  upon  which  God  places  a  high  estimate.  Or 
it  may  mean  that  the  death  of  Christ  has  great  value  in  its  influence  upon 
God.  The  on  clause  assigns  the  reason  for  the  preceding  statement  of 
the  value  of  the  blood  of  Christ.  The  act  itself  and  the  work  which  it 
accomplished  are  the  grounds  for  its  high  estimation.  It  was  shed  for 
the  benefit  of  men.  But  in  what  way  did  his  blood  benefit  men  ?  The 
answer  to  this  question  depends  upon  the  interpretation  of  the  state- 
ment "won  the  grace  of  rep>entance."  The  word  x*¥>*^  has  great 
significance  in  the  interpretation  of  the  passage.  Its  usual  meaning, 
in  the  New  Testament  at  least,  is  favor,  a  gracious,  favorable  attitude 
of  one  toward  another.  There  is  no  reason  to  depart  from  that  usage 
here.  In  vss.  5-7  of  this  chapter,  he  says:  "The  Master  has  given  a 
place  for  repentance  to  those  that  desire  to  return  to  him.  Noah 
preached  repentance,  and  they  that  obeyed  were  saved.  Jonah  preached 
destruction  to  them  of  Nineveh ;  but  they,  repenting  of  their  sins,  obtained 
pardon  of  God  by  their  supplications  and  received  salvation,  albeit  they 
were  aliens  from  God."  So  the  readers  are  exhorted  to  fix  their  eyes 
upon  the  blood  of  Christ  as  that  which  "brought  to  all  the  world  the 
grace  of  repentance";  the  graciously  granted  opportunity  to  repent, 
implying  also  the  guaranty  of  pardon.  The  connection  implies  dearly 
enough  that  it  is  God  who  confers  this  favor  of  repentance.  This  shows 
then  that  the  value  of  Christ's  blood  consists  in  its  influence  upon 
God.  The  author's  meaning  is  as  follows:  Christ's  death  has  so  influ- 
enced God  that  on  account  of  his  death  God  has  given  the  opportunity 
of  repentance  to  the  whole  world. 

The  other  passages  confirm  this  representation  as  the  author's  way 
of  thinking.  In  16:3-16,  he  quotes  Isaiah  53:1-12.  His  purpose  in 
introducing  this  quotation  is  to  give  an  example  of  lowliness  as  exhibited 
in  the  life  of  Christ.  The  lowliness  of  Christ  consists  in  his  enduring 
suffering  for  men  and  bearing  the  penalty  of  their  sins,  since  Clement 
identifies  Christ  with  the  suffering  servant.  The  Isaiah  passage  teaches 
that  the  suffering  servant  bears  the  penalty  of  the  sins  of  others.  He  is, 
repeatedly  spoken  of  in  this  chapter  as  the  substitute  of  the  wicked.* 

'So  this  passage  is  interpreted  by  Dr.  J.  M.  P.  Smith,  Atonement,  pp.  35-37: 
"The  penalty  due  their  sins  has  been  borne  by  Israel.  He  has  suffered  in  their  place. 
No  thought  appears  so  frequently  in  this  passage  as  this  of  the  righteous  servant's 


12  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOUC  FATHERS 

In  49:6,  he  says:  "Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  has  given  his  blood  for  us  by 
the  will  of  God,  and  his  flesh  for  our  flesh  and  his  life  for  our  lives." 
While  this  passage  may  receive  two  different  interpretations,  it  is  in 
harmony  with  the  preceding  passage  to  treat  it  as  meaning  that  his 
death  takes  the  place  of  our  death.  In  12:7,  the  passage  in  regard 
to  Rahab,  the  author  introduces  the  word  Xvrpaxrts.  Her  scarlet 
thread  is  a  prophecy  "that  through  the  blood  of  the  Lord  there  shall  be 
redemption  unto  all  them  that  believe  and  hope  on  God."  Clement 
uses  the  word  XvTpoo)  with  two  significations.  In  59:4  there  is  no 
thought  of  the  price  paid.  The  word  is  used  to  express  "deliverance." 
But  in  55:2,  he  sp>eaks  of  deliverance  through  the  payment  of  a  price. 
He  adduces  examples  who  have  made  sacrifices  for  others,  and  then  says: 
"We  know  that  many  among  ourselves  have  delivered  themselves  to 
bondage  that  they  might  ransom  others."  In  12:7,  since  the  blood  of 
Christ  is  mentioned,  it  is  most  natural  to  regard  it  as  the  price  paid  to 
deliver  men  from  the  penalty  of  sin.  Scherer,  likewise,  in  his  treatment 
of  this  passage,  takes  the  view  that  if  repentance  were  sufficient  the  author 
would  say  nothing  about  redemption.*  Chap.  21:6  should  be  inter- 
preted in  harmony  with  the  other  passages.  "The  blood  given  for  us" 
is  that  which  is  given  in  the  place  of  us. 

4.     THE  CONSTRUCTIVE  ASPECT   OF   CHRIST's   SOTERIOLOGICAL  WORK 

The  whole  work  of  salvation  is  assigned  to  Christ.  Election,  calling, 
sanctification,  illumination,  grace,  peace,  forgiveness  of  sins,  salvation 
in  its  totality,  all  are  the  work  of  Christ.* 

This  work  may  be  viewed  as  accomplished  in  part  through  the 
example  of  the  earthly  Christ.  Thus  in  the  calling  of  men  the  earthly 
Christ  is  an  important  factor.  He  is  the  reflection  of  the  glory  of  the 
Father,  and  as  such  makes  an  appeal  to  men.  In  his  introduction,  he 
greets  those  who  "are  called  and  sanctified  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Christ  accomplishes  this  calling,  in  one  way  at  least,  by  reflect- 
ing the  glory  of  God.     So  in  the  illumination  of  men,  the  glory  of  God, 

substitution  for  the  wicked  (vss.  4,  5,  6,  8,  19,  11,  12).    The  thought  is  that  of  the 

vicarious  satisfaction  of  demands  made  by  the  divine  righteousness He  is 

bearing  the  penalty  of  others'  sins."  For  a  different  interpretation,  see  Professor 
E.  D.  Burton,  Atotiement,  pp.  104,  105.  Domer  says  of  this  chapter  in  Clement, 
Doctrine  of  the  Person  of  Christ,  I,  98:  "Every  interpretation  of  this  passage  is  forced 
which  does  not  recognize  in  it  the  idea  of  substitution." 

'  Der  erste  Clemensbrief  an  die  Corinther,  S.  179. 

*  Chaps.  I,  20,  36 ,  42,  50,  59,  and  in  many  instances  this  work  is  presented. 


GOD  THE  FATHER   SUPREBiE   AND  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST  1 3 

reflected  in  the  life  of  Christ  on  earth,  transformed  men.'  This  passage 
in  chap.  36  reflects  very  strikingly  II  Cor.  3: 18,  except  that  Clement  says 
nothing  of  the  activity  of  the  Lord  in  connection  with  beholding.  The 
vision  of  Christ  illuminates  the  moral  understanding.  "Through  him 
the  eyes  of  our  heart  were  opened."  The  vision  of  Christ  quickens 
holy  desires  and  gives  strength  to  the  will.  "Through  him  our  foolish 
and  darkened  mind  springeth  up  unto  his  marvellous  light."  The 
vision  of  Christ  gives  a  taste  of  immortal  knowledge.  The  part  achieved 
by  the  earthly  Christ  in  the  work  of  salvation  must  not  be  overlooked. 
But  this  does  not  exhaust  the  content  of  Christ's  work.  The  heavenly 
Christ  also  saves  men.  The  believer  is  in  union  with  him.  Clement 
uses  also  Paul's  figure  of  the  body  to  denote  the  relation  of  the  believer 
to  Christ.  Thus  the  activity  of  the  heavenly  Christ  accomplishes  the 
work  of  salvation.  Believers  must  regard  the  living  Christ,  together 
with  God  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  the  foundation  of  their  hope  of  salva- 
tion.' 

Faith  is  required  of  men  in  order  to  secure  their  salvation.  In  32 14, 
he  speaks  of  faith  very  much  as  Paul  considers  it.  He  says:  "And  so 
we  having  been  called  through  his  will  in  Christ  Jesus  are  not  justified 
through  ourselves  or  through  our  own  wisdom  or  understanding  or 
piety  or  works  which  we  wrought  in  holiness  of  heart,  but  through  faith, 
whereby  the  Almighty  God  has  justified  all  men  that  have  been  from  the 
beginning." 

5.  THE  RESURRECTION  AND  ESCHATOLOGY 

Clement  mentions  the  resurrection  of  Christ  but  twice.  In  24:  i,  he 
says  that  God  raised  Christ  from  the  dead  and  made  him  the  first- 
fruit.  And  in  42:3,  he  says  that  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  gave 
assurance  to  the  faith  of  the  apostles.  He  mentions  the  second  coming 
of  Christ  in  only  two  passages.  In  23: 5,  to  warn  them  against  sinning, 
he  reminds  the  readers  of  the  second  coming  of  Christ.  He  speaks 
in  59:4  of  the  visitation  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  in  connection 
with  it  of  the  reward  of  the  righteous,  and  their  resurrection  from  the 
tombs. 

6.     THE  CHRISTOLOGY  OF  CLEMENT  VIEWED  IN  THE  UGHT  OF  THE  OBJECT 

OF   THE   LETTER 

The  object  of  the  letter  is  stated  above.  It  is  necessary  here  only 
to  call  attention  to  the  method  by  which  Clement  seeks  to  attain  his 
object. 

»  Chap.  36.  .     »  Chap.  58:2. 


14  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

The  sanction  for  the  order  of  the  church  is  received  from  God.  God 
sent  Christ;  Christ  sent  the  apostles;  the  apostles  appointed  bishops 
and  deacons.'  The  order  of  the  church  is  thus  divine,  and  conformity 
to  it  is  submission  not  to  men  but  to  God.  Obedience  to  the  divine 
order  is  essential  to  the  welfare  of  men.  Such  conformity  to  the  divine 
arrangement  is  the  condition  of  welfare  in  all  relations.  In  the  Temple 
services  each  one  had  his  place,  and  the  offering  must  be  presented  in  the 
prescribed  manner.'  There  is  harmony  in  nature  and  obedience  to  the 
laws  of  God.'  The  author  says  here:  "The  heavens  are  moved  by  his 
direction  and  obey  him  in  peace.  Day  and  night  accomplish  the  course 
assigned  to  them  by  him,  without  hindrance  one  to  another.  The  svm 
and  the  mood  and  the  dancing  stars  according  to  his  appointment  circle 
in  harmony  within  the  bounds  assigned  to  them  without  any  swerving 
aside."  This  whole  chapter  is  an  eloquent  description  of  nature  in 
harmony  with  the  behests  of  God.  There  must  be  obedience  to  author- 
ity in  an  army,  for  only  thus  can  the  life  of  the  army  be  maintained. 
The  welfare  of  the  body  is  dependent  upon  the  same  harmony.*  He 
also  seeks  to  overcome  rebellion  by  a  long  list  of  examples  which  show 
the  dire  consequences  of  envy,  jealousy,  and  rebellion  in  the  past.  The 
character  itself  of  the  seditious  is  despicable.  The  author  displays  no 
little  warmth  of  feeling  as  he  characterizes  the  leaders  of  this  sedition. 
Over  against  the  picture  of  evil  are  placed  the  results  of  obedience  and 
the  nobility  of  self-denial  for  the  good  of  others.  Thus  the  author  seeks 
to  restore  order  in  the  Corinthian  church  by  showing  that  God  has 
established  the  order  in  the  church,  and  that  to  his  supreme  will  all  owe 
allegiance;  by  showing  from  a  long  list  of  examples  the  evil  consequences 
of  sedition;  and  also  by  a  great  number  of  examples,  he  shows  the  benefit 
of  obedience.  Such  an  object  led  the  writer  to  state  and  illustrate  one 
main  thought — supremacy. 

To  attain  this  object  of  supremacy  he  exalts  God.  But  this  purpose 
need  not  lead  Clement  to  lower  his  Christology.  Another  man  writing 
later  would  have  accomplished  the  same  object  by  exalting  Christ. 

II.    The  Christology  in  the  Didache 

I.      the   subordination   of   CHRIST  TO   GOD 

A  marked  feature  of  the  Christology  that  shows  the  aflSnity  of  the 
Didache  with  First  Clement  is  the  emphasis  upon  the  subordination 
of  Christ  to  God.    The  Son  is  the  agent  of  salvation ,  but  God  is  made 

'  Chap.  42.  i  Chap.  20. 

» Ibid.  *  Chaps,  37,  38. 


GOD  THE  FATHER  SUPREME  AND  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST    1$ 

very  prominent  as  the  power  back  of  the  Son.  God  made  known  knowl- 
edge, faith,  and  immortality  through  the  Son.  In  the  prayers  and  thanks- 
givings, the  supremacy  of  God  is  made  very  prominent.  To  Him  all 
glory  is  ascribed;  to  Him  thanksgiving  is  offered  and  prayer  is  made. 
"We  give  thee  thanks,  O  our  Father;  thine  is  the  glory  and  power 
through  Jesus  Christ  for  ever  and  ever."'  The  use  of  vaU  trov,  which  is 
equivalent  to  iraU  tov  deoiv,  to  designate  Christ  is  not  without  signi- 
ficance. In  this  matter  also  the  Didache  shows  its  kinship  to  First 
Clement.*  The  word  viov  is  used  of  Christ  only  twice,  and  both  times 
in  the  baptismal  formula.  But  inus  is  used  five  times.^  And  these 
uses  are  in  connection  with  the  agency  of  Christ  in  securing  salvation. 
The  use  of  the  less  exalted  word  marks  more  distinctly  the  subordinate 
position  of  Christ  and  the  supremacy  of  God.  It  has  been  maintained 
that  in  X.  6,  Jesus  is  called  the  "God  of  David,"  and  in  XVI.  7,  tlje 
Jehovah  of  the  Old  Testament.^  In  X.  6,  it  is  said:  "May  grace  come 
and  may  this  world  pass  away.  Hosanna  to  the  God  of  David.  If  any 
man  is  holy,  let  him  come;  if  any  man  is  not,  let  him  repent.  Maran 
Atha.  Amen."  And  XVI.  8  is  as  follows:  "The  Lord  shall  come  and  all 
his  saints  with  him.  Then  shall  the  world  see  the  Lord  coming  upon 
the  clouds  of  heaven."  The  designation  of  Christ  as  vlos  and  iraU  and 
6  KvpuK,  and  the  sharp  distinction  kept  between  Christ  and  6  dto^, 
the  Father,  in  other  places,  make  it  highly  improbable  that  the 
author  would,  in  these  two  places  under  discussion,  ascribe  deity 
to  Christ.  Moreover,  in  X.  6,  the  context  is  strongly  against  referring 
dto^  to  Christ.  In  this  chapter,  thanksgiving  is  offered  to  the  Holy 
Father,  vs.  2;  to  the  Father  is  assigned  the  work  of  creation;  to  him  is 
ascribed  glory  and  all  power;  the  church  belongs  to  him.  No  ascriptions 
are  made  to  Christ  throughout  the  chapter;  he  is  assigned  a  subordinate 
place  as  an  agent.  It  is,  therefore,  entirely  unnatural  and  without 
any  warrant  in  the  context  to  interpret  'Oo-awa  ry  dti^  Aa/3tS  as  an 
ascription  of  praise  to  Christ.  It  must  rather  refer  to  the  Father.  In 
XVI.  7,  the  author  reflects  Matt.  25:31,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  think 
that  he  connected  6  Kvpto^  here  with  the  Jehovah  of  the  Old  Testament. 
This  expression  is  constantly  used  in  the  New  Testament  both  of  the 
Father  and  of  Christ,  and  there  is  nothing  here  indicating  a  connection 
with  the  Old  Testament  Jehovah.    He  is  one  with  Clement  in  the  extent 

'Chaps.  DC,  X.  •59:4. 

*7-i,3;  9: 3, 3;  10:2.  3- 

*  SchafiF,  Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  p.  25;  Hamack,  GeschichU  der  alichrist- 
lichen  LiUeratur  his  Eusebius,  II,  428. 


l6  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

of  the  authority  which  he  assigns  to  Christ.  The  author  recognizes 
Christ  as  Lord  over  their  spiritual  lives.  He  is  the  agent  of  God.  The 
Christian  secures  through  him  salvation — that  is,  knowledge,  faith,  spirit- 
ual food,  eternal  life — and  in  turn  they  call  him  Lord.  It  uses  the 
trinitarian  formula  in  baptism.'  The  Christians  baptize  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit.  In  this  there  is  doubtless  to  be  seen 
the  influence  of  Matthew's  Gospel,  not  an  independent  development  of 
Christology,  and  no  direct  affirmation  concerning  the  nature  of  the  Lord. 
The  Didache  calls  Christ  the  son  of  God.  The  title  is  used,  not  to  indi- 
cate his  official  position,  or  the  moral  nature  of  Christ,  but  rather  it 
indicates  the  metaphysical  relation  of  Christ  to  God. 

2.  ESCHATOLOGY 

Chap,  xvi  contains  a  brief  but  clear  statement  of  the  last  things. 
False  prophets  shall  appear;  iniquity  shall  increase;  the  sheep  shall  be 
turned  into  wolves,  and  love  into  hate.  Then  the  world-deceiver  shall 
appear  as  a  son  of  God,  work  signs  and  wonders,  and  the  earth  shall  be 
delivered  into  his  hands.  This  temporary  reign  of  the  world-deceiver 
suggests  the  triumph  of  Satan,  Rev.  20:7.  A  peculiar  feature  of  the 
eschatology  is  the  "cure  of  the  curse."  All  created  mankind  shall  come 
to  the  fire  of  testing,  and  many  shall  be  offended  and  perish,  but  they 
that  endure  in  their  faith  shall  be  saved  by  the  curse  himself.'  The 
intention  is  probably  to  express  the  well-known  truth  that  those  who 
do  not  fall  under  a  great  temptation  will  be  purified  and  strengthened  by 
it.  It  is  not  permissible  to  push  the  meaning  of  the  words  "  all  created 
mankind"  to  their  literal  signification.  For  in  vs.  7  below,  it  is  said 
that  not  all  will  be  raised  from  the  dead.  Rather,  the  words  signify  that 
all  people  living  will  be  tested  by  this  great  trial.  At  its  close  Christ 
will  come.  There  will  be  "  a  rift  in  the  heaven,  then  a  sign  of  a  voice  of  a 
trumpet,  and  thirdly  a  resurrection  of  the  dead"  who  are  righteous. 

III.    The  Christology  in  the  Fragments  or  Papias 

The  only  hint  of  the  christological  position  of  the  Fragments  of 
P^ias  is  the  use  of  the  titles  "Lord"  and  "Christ."  In  the  short 
fragments  which  Eusebius  professes  to  quote,  he  uses  the  title  "Lord^' 
eleven  times  and  "Christ"  twice.  Eusebius  quotes  a  narrative  in 
which  he  says  that  Papias  speaks  of  the  ascension  of  Christ,  but  he  gives 

'  Chap.  7. 

'  For  an  interpretation  of  this  obscure  passage,  see  J.  Rendel  Harris,  The  Teaching 
of  the  Apostles,  p.  62,  interesting  because  of  its  uniqueness. 


GOD  THE  FATHER  SUPREME  AND  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST    17 

no  quotation  of  such  a  passage.  The  title  "Lord"  is  used  to  denote  the 
authority  of  Christ  over  the  Christians  and  the  Christian  community. 
So  far  as  it  contains  any  indication  of  the  author's  position,  it  shows  that 
he  belongs  to  the  First  Clement  group. 

Summary  of  the  Christology  in  Tms  Group 

A.      CLEMENT 

The  highest  point  of  the  author's  Christology  is  reached  in  the 
function  which  he  assigns  to  Christ  as  Lord  of  the  Christian  community, 
and,  in  conjunction  w^ith  the  Father  and  Spirit,  as  the  ground  of  the 
believer's  hope  of  salvation.  In  harmony  with  this  conception  is  the 
representation  that  he  was  pre-existent,  and  that  he  is  the  scepter  of  the 
divine  majesty. 

But  the  marked  characteristic  of  Clement's  Christology  is  the  sub- 
ordination which  he  assigns  to  Christ.  This  subordination  he  makes 
emphatic  in  several  ways:  (i)  He  applies  three  titles  exclusively  to  God, 
namely,  Btvi,  StoTron;?,  and  5»;/xtovpyo9.  Thus  he  separates  God  from 
Christ.  (2)  He  places  limitation  upon  the  p)Ower  of  Christ  in  that 
Christ's  power  extends  only  to  the  spiritual  lives  of  believers.  (3)  He 
sets  forth  certain  negative  aspects  of  Christ's  work:  his  dominion  is 
not  aflSrmed  to  be  over  all  men;  no  cosmological  function  is  ascribed  to 
him,  though  the  author  has  much  to  say  of  creation  and  the  main- 
tenance of  the  universe;  he  is  not  associated  with  God  as  the  source  of 
grace  and  mercy,  in  the  manner  in  which  Paul  so  constantly  conjoins  the 
Father  and  son;  prayer  is  never  offered  to  Christ;  omnipotence,  omni- 
science, creation,  preservation,  and  universal  dominion  are  ascribed  to 
God  but  never  to  Christ.  (4)  He  represents  Christ  as  an  agent  acting 
under  the  direction  of  God.  This  is  the  conception  which  dominates 
the  whole  letter.  (5)  He  says  that  God  raised  Christ  from  the  dead. 
(6)  And  finally  he  assumes  a  distinctly  different  attitude  toward  God 
from  that  which  he  takes  toward  Christ. 

B.    the  didache  and  the  fragments  of  papias 

The  Didache  is  one  with  Clement  in  recognizing  Christ  as  Lord  over 
the  lives  of  believers;  in  representing  Christ  as  an  agent  of  God;  and 
in  presenting  him  as  the  mediator  of  salvation.  Though  much  less 
fully  and  definitely  expressed,  the  Christology  of  the  Didache  is  of  the 
same  type  as  that  of  Clement. 

The  Fragments  of  Papias  indicate  only  that  Christ  is  Lord  over  the 
believer. 


CHAPTER  II 
CHRIST  IS  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST 

Introductory 

a.    the  letters  of  ignatius 

The  author. — The  chief  knowledge  which  we  have  of  Ignatius  is 
the  account  of  his  journey  from  Antioch  to  Rome  when  he  had  been  con- 
demned to  suffer  death  at  Rome  from  the  wild  beasts.  From  a  few 
references  in  the  letters  which  he  wrote  on  this  journey,  it  is  concluded 
that  he  was  converted  rather  late  in  life.  In  Rom.  9:2,  he  says:  "But 
for  myself  I  am  ashamed  to  be  called  one  of  them;  for  neither  am  I 
worthy,  being  the  very  last  of  them,  an  untimely  birth;  but  I  have 
found  mercy  that  I  should  be  some  one."  The  expression  "an  untimely 
birth"  indicates  in  this  connection  that  he  was  converted  after  he  had 
reached  maturity  at  least.  The  expression  "  being  the  very  last  of  them  " 
occurs  in  three  other  places  in  his  letters,  namely,  Ephes.  21:2;  Trail. 
13:1,  Smyr.  11:1.  In  itself  it  might  indicate  only  his  deep  sense  of 
humility.  But  in  two  places  it  is  used  to  explain  his  imworthiness. 
Thus  it  is  used  in  Trail.  13:1  and  in  Smyr.  11:1.  He  is  unworthy 
because  he  is  the  last  of  the  faithful.  It  thus  lends  support  to  the  view 
of  his  late  conversion.  He  is  "one  of  those  broken  natures  out  of  which, 
as  Zahn  has  truly  said,  God's  heroes  are  truly  made."*  His  condemna- 
tion to  die  from  the  wild  beasts  shows  that  he  was  not  a  Roman  citizen. 
The  circumstances  of  his  trial  and  condemnation  at  Antioch  are  unknown. 
Nor  is  it  known  why  he  was  sent  to  Rome  to  die.'  The  one  thing  which 
is  certain  is  that  the  sentence  of  condemnation  had  already  been  passed 
when  he  was  on  his  journey.  He  says  to  the  churches  at  Ephesus  and 
Tralles,  "I  am  a  convict";  and  to  the  church  at  Rome,  "Let  me  be  given 
to  the  wild  beasts,  for  through  them  I  can  attain  unto  God."^  He 
made  the  journey  from  Antioch  to  Rome  under  a  guard  of  ten  soldiers. 
He  calls  them  leopards,  and  says  that  the  more  kind  he  was  to  them  the 
more  cruel  they  became.*  But  liberty  to  meet  churches  and  confer  with 
delegates  from  different  places  was  granted  to  him,  and  at  Smyrna  he 
met  with  representatives  from  a  number  of  churches. 

'  Lightfoot,  Apostolic  Fathers,  Ignatius,  I,  28. 

'  For  a  conjecture  concerning  his  condemnation  and  death,  see  F.  W.  Farrar, 
Lives  of  the  Fathers,  I,  31,  73. 

»  Ephes.  12;  Trail.  3;  Rom.  4.  <  Rom.  5:1. 

18 


CHRIST  THE  CENTEK  OF  INTEREST  X9 

He  was  reckoned  the  second  bishop  of  the  church  at  Antioch,  not 
counting  the  apostles.  The  exact  date  of  either  the  beginning  or  the  end 
of  his  episcopate  is  unknown.  The  date  assigned  to  his  letters  fixes 
the  close  of  his  episcopate  at  approximately  no  a.d. 

The  seven  genuine  letters. — His  letters  reveal  intense  devotion  and 
eagerness  for  martyrdom.  By  his  death  he  says  that  he  will  attain  unto 
God,  and  become  a  word  of  God.  This  bold  and  unselfish  spirit  made 
a  deep  impression  on  his  age,  and  finally,  under  the  desire  to  imitate 
his  example,  undue  imp>ortance  is  attached  to  martyrdom.'  The  seven 
letters  known  to  Eusebius,  and  now  generally  accepted  as  genuine,  were 
written  while  he  was  on  the  journey  from  Antioch  to  Rome.  From 
Smyrna  he  wrote  the  letters  to  the  churches  at  Ephesus,  Magnesia, 
Tralles,  and  Rome.  And  from  Troas  he  wrote  the  letters  to  the  churches 
at  Philadelphia,  Smyrna,  and  the  letter  to  Polycarp. 

In  six  of  the  letters,  all  except  the  letter  to  the  church  at  Rome,  the 
object  is  the  same.  In  them  all  he  urges  to  unity  among  themselves, 
to  subjection  to  the  bishop,  presbyters,  and  deacons,  and  warns  them 
against  false  doctrine,  especially  docetism.  Church  unity  and  subordina- 
tion to  the  ofl&cers  of  the  church  are  the  safeguard  against  the  entrance 
of  false  doctrine.  He  lays  great  stress  on  the  reality  of  the  human 
nature  of  Christ.  This  truth  which  in  our  day  seems  so  certain  was 
at  his  time  in  danger  of  being  obscured,  and  Ignatius  appeared  as  its 
defender.*  But  Ignatius  maintains  also  the  divine  nature  of  Christ. 
The  letter  to  the  church  at  Rome  has  an  entirely  different  object.  He 
is  afraid  that  the  love  of  the  Christians  at  Rome  will  lead  them  to  seek 
to  avert  his  death.  This  intentional  kindness  he  regards  as  cruelty 
because  it  would  rob  him  of  the  crown  of  martyrdom  for  which  he  is 
eager.  So  he  writes  to  them :  "  I  am  God's  wheat,  and  I  am  ground  by 
the  teeth  of  wild  beasts  that  I  may  be  found  pure  bread  of  Christ. 
Rather  entice  the  wild  beasts  that  they  may  become  my  sepulchre  and 
may  leave  no  part  of  my  body  behind."^ 

The  date, — These  seven  letters  may  be  accepted  as  genuine,  and  the 

'  For  a  general  characterization  of  Ignatius,  see  H.  B.  Swete,  Patristic  Study, 
pp.  14-17. 

*  Lightfoot,  Apostolic  Fathers,  Ignatius,  I,  39,  says:  "To  deny  the  truth  of  Christ's 
humanity,  to  question  the  reality  of  his  birth  and  life  and  death  in  the  flesh,  is  the 
shadow  of  smoke,  is  the  dream  of  a  dream  to  us.  Yet  all  the  notices  conspire  to  show 
that  during  a  considerable  part  of  the  second  century,  it  constituted  a  real  danger  to 
Christianity." 

1  Rom.  5:4. 


20  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

date  of  the  writing  placed  at  about  110-17.    It  may  have  been  a  little 
earlier  or  a  little  later.' 

B.      THE   LETTER   OF  POLYCARP 

The  author. — Polycarp  was  bishop  of  the  church  at  Smyrna  when 
Ignatius  passed  through  this  place  on  his  way  to  Rome.  Ignatius 
remained  here  for  some  time  and  received  the  messengers  from  near-by 
churches.  Such  a  meeting  gave  Ignatius  a  fine  opportunity  to  gain  a 
true  knowledge  of  the  character  of  Polycarp.  The  disciple  eager  for 
martyrdom  found  a  sympathetic  spirit  in  Polycarp.  He  speaks  of 
Polycarp  in  the  letter  to  the  Ephesians,  saying  that  he  wrote  to  them 
"with  thanksgiving  to  the  Lord,  having  love  for  Polycarp  as  I  have 
for  you  also."'  And  in  his  letter  to  the  church  at  Smyrna  he  calls 
Polycarp  "your  godly  bishop."  This  character  for  saintliness  is  given 
to  Polycarp  in  the  account  of  his  martyrdom  which  the  church  at 
Smyrna  furnished  the  church  at  Philomelium  nearly  half  a  century 
later.  Ignatius  in  his  letter  to  Polycarp  speaks  of  his  godly  mind, 
grounded  as  it  were  on  an  immovable  rock,  and  of  his  great  joy  that  he 
had  been  permitted  to  see  his  "blameless  face."^  It  is  in  this  same  letter 
that  he  uttered  the  prophetic  words:  "Stand  thou  firm,  as  an  anvil 
when  it  is  smitten.  It  is  the  part  of  a  great  athlete  to  receive  blows 
and  be  victorious."^  These  words  found  fulfilment  about  forty  years 
later.  Polycarp  held  the  position  of  bishop  at  Smyrna  for  about  fifty 
years.  Irenaeus  says  that  he  "not  only  had  been  taught  by  apostles, 
and  lived  in  familiar  intercourse  with  many  who  had  seen  Christ,"  but 
that  he  also  received  his  appointment  from  apostles.  Tertullian  adds 
definiteness  to  this  statement,  and  says  that  John  was  the  apostle  who 
appointed  him  to  his  office. 

But  to  go  back  from  this  time  when  Polycarp  is  introduced  to  us  in 
connection  with  Ignatius,  we  find  that  he  was  probably  from  Christian 
parents.  He  says  at  his  martyrdom  that  he  had  served  the  Lord  eighty- 
six  years.  This  statement  can  be  understood  most  easily  if  we  suppose 
that  he  counts  the  years  of  service  from  his  birth.  If  his  conversion 
should  be  dated  at  an  early  age,  ten,  twelve,  or  fifteen  years  added  to 
eighty-six  would  make  him  very  old.  On  the  first  supposition,  and 
by  counting  the  martyrdom  at  155  a.d.,  he  was  born  69  a.d.  Lightfoot 
has  shown  the  important  relation  in  which  Polycarp  stood  to  Christian 

'  See  Harnack,  GeschichU  der  altckrisUkhen  Lilt,  bis  Eusebius,  Erster  Band,  S. 
381-406. 

'  Ephes.  21:1.  »  Pol.  1:1.  *  Pol.  2:3. 


CHRIST  THE  CENTER   OF   INTEREST  21 

leaders.  He  sustained  intimate  relations  to  John,  Ignatius,  and  Irenaeus.' 
The  well-known  circumstances  of  his  martyrdom  are  learned  from  the 
letter  of  the  church  at  Smyrna  to  the  church  at  Philomelium.  Here  we 
are  given  the  circumstances  of  his  burning  at  the  stake  in  Smyrna.  His 
words  to  the  magistrate  are  memorable  when  that  officer  pressed  him 
hard  and  said,  "Swear  the  oath,  and  I  will  release  thee;  revile  the 
Christ."  Polycarp  answered:  "Fourscore  and  six  years  have  I  been  his 
servant,  and  he  hath  done  me  no  wrong.  How  then  can  I  blaspheme 
my  king  who  saved  me  ?  " 

The  occasion  of  the  letter. — Ignatius  had  requested  the  churches  of 
Asia  Minor  to  write  a  letter  to  Syrian  Antioch  and  congratulate  the 
church  on  the  cessation  of  persecution,  and  he  had  asked  that  his  letter 
should  be  sent  by  a  trustworthy  messenger.  On  leaving  Philippi,  he  had 
made  the  same  request  of  the  church  there.  The  church  at  Philippi  wrote 
to  Polycarp  and  asked  that  their  letter  should  be  borne  by  the  messenger 
from  Smyrna.  The  Philippians  asked  also  for  copies  of  the  letters  which 
Ignatius  had  written,  and  invited  Polycarp  to  address  them  any  word 
of  exhortation.  In  reply  to  this  letter,  Polycarp  wrote  the  letter  to  the 
Philippians.  The  letter  consists  chiefly  of  a  series  of  exhortations  to 
refrain  from  evil  and  live  righteously,  giving  as  the  sanction  of  conduct 
the  future  judgment,  and  as  the  inspiring  motive  for  their  life  the  example 
of  Jesus. 

The  date  oj  the  letter. — The  letter  was  written  not  long  alter  the  visit 
of  Ignatius  to  Smyrna.  At  the  time  of  writing,  Polycarp  has  no  sure 
knowledge  of  the  fate  of  Ignatius,  though  he  expects  that  Ignatius  has 
suffered  martyrdom.  He  says  to  the  Philippians:  "Moreover,  concern- 
ing Ignatius  himself  and  those  that  were  with  him,  if  you  have  any  sure 
tidings,  certify  us."*  Since  Polycarp  is  recognized  as  a  man  having 
authority,  Hamack  thinks  that  i  lo  a.d.  is  the  earliest  date  that  can  be 
assigned  for  the  letter.  If  Ignatius'  visit  to  Smyrna  was  near  i  lo,  the 
date  of  this  letter  must  have  fallen  in  no  or  iii.  It  is  \tTy  well  estab- 
lished that  the  date  is  between  no  and  120. 

In  literary  characteristics  the  letter  is  very  different  from  the  letters 
of  Ignatius.  It  is  lacking  in  the  glowing  enthusiasm  and  bold  originality 
80  characteristic  of  Ignatius.  The  death  of  Christ  occupies  a  place 
of  far  less  importance  in  the  letter  of  Polycarp.  But  from  the  point  of 
view  of  Christology,  the  letter  belongs  to  the  same  group  as  those 
of  Ignatius.    The  high  rank  which  he  gives  to  Christ,  the  conjoining  of 

*  Apostolic  Fathers,  Ignatius  and  Polycarp,  I,  433. 
'  Phil.  13:2. 


22  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

Christ  and  God  in  important  functions,  and  the  slight  emphasis  upon  the 
subordination  of  the  Son  to  the  Father;  all  these  important  features 
show  that  he  is  close  to  Ignatius. 

C.      II   CLEMENT 

Its  character  as  homily. — This  designation,  II  Clement,  is  still  retained 
by  Gebhardt,  Hamack,  and  Zahn  in  their  Patrutn  Apostolicorum  Opera, 
though  it  is  generally  agreed  that  it  is  not  a  letter,  and  that  it  was  not 
written  by  Clement  of  Rome  who  wrote  our  First  Clement.  Harnack, 
however,  still  maintains  that  it  is  a  letter.  Lightfoot  calls  it  "  an  ancient 
homily  by  an  unknown  author."  The  work  itself  furnishes  rather  deci- 
sive evidence  that  it  is  a  homily.  Chapters  nineteen  and  twenty  espe- 
cially have  the  hortatory'  style.  Here  we  find  such  expressions  as  the 
following:  "Let  us  not  be  displeased  and  vexed";  "let  us  therefore 
practice  righteousness " ;  "let  not  the  godly  be  grieved";  "let  us  then 
have  faith,  brethren  and  sisters."  This  direct  appeal  is  suitable  to 
address.  But  this  is  not  a  decisive  element  in  determining  the  nature 
of  the  work.  Paul's  letters  have  such  appeals.  The  letter  to  the 
Romans  abounds  in  exhortations  more  than  do  the  nineteenth  and 
twentieth  chapters  of  this  work.  The  direct  address  "my  brethren"  is 
in  Paul's  letters  as  much  as  "brothers  and  sisters"  cited  in  this  work. 
There  are  two  expressions,  however,  which  clearly  determine  that  this 
work  is  a  homily.  In  XIX.  i,  he  says:  "Therefore,  brothers  and  sisters, 
after  the  God  of  truth  has  been  heard,  I  read  to  you  an  exhortation." 
Here  is  a  plain  statement  which  shows  its  nature  as  a  homily.  He  reads 
or  speaks  to  them.  In  XVII.  3,  he  says:  "Let  us  not  think  to  believe 
and  give  heed  now  only,  while  we  are  admonished  by  the  presbyters; 
but  likewise  when  we  have  departed  home  let  us  remember  the  com- 
mandments of  the  Lord."  This  furnishes  an  instance  of  the  early  church 
meeting  such  as  Justin  describes  in  his  Apology.  As  the  earliest  example 
of  the  addresses  delivered  at  these  meetings,  this  homily  has  great 
interest. 

The  author. — Three  men  have  been  proposed  as  the  author.  Bryen- 
nios  thinks  that  Clement  of  Rome  who  wrote  the  first  letter  to  the  Corin- 
thians is  the  author.  The  external  testimony  is  very  strong  against 
such  a  supposition.  The  correct  translation  of  the  words  of  Dionysius 
as  quoted  by  Eusebius,  H.E.  IV.  23.  11,  shows  that  the  church  at  Corinth 
knew  only  one  letter  of  Clement.  Dionysius  writes  to  Soter:  "Today 
we  have  passed  the  Lord's  holy  day,  in  which  we  have  read  your  epistle. 
From  it,  whenever  we  read  it,  we  shall  always  be  able  to  draw  advice, 


CHRIST  THE  CENTER  OF   INTEREST  23 

as  also  from  the  former  epistle,  which  was  written  to  us  through  Clement." 
Eusebius,  who  was  the  first  to  mention  the  second  letter  of  Clement, 
speaks  disparagingly  of  its  authenticity,  describing  it  as  the  so-called 
letter  of  Clement.  But  the  internal  evidence  is  decisive  against  the 
authorship  of  Clement.  The  author's  attitude  toward  Christ  in  speak- 
ing of  him  twice  as  God  allies  him  with  Ignatius  rather  than  Clement. 
Hilgenfeld  has  proposed  Clement  of  Alexandria  as  the  author.  But 
Lightfoot  has  shown  with  convincing  clearness  that  this  identification 
cannot  be  made.  The  attitude  of  the  two  writers  toward  a  quotation 
from  the  Egyptian  Gospel  is  very  different,  as  well  as  the  style  of  the  two 
writers.  Harnack  identifies  our  Second  Clement  with  Soter's  letter 
to  the  Corinthians.  The  preservation  of  Soter's  letter  by  the  Corin- 
thian church  is  not  sufficient  to  make  the  identification,  and  the  evi- 
dence that  this  work  originated  at  Corinth  is  opposed  to  the  identifica- 
tion. 

The  place  of  origin. — Because  of  the  document's  resemblances  to 
Hermas,  Harnack  thinks  that  it  originated  in  Rome.  But  these  resem- 
blances, as  Lightfoot  has  shown,  are  artificial,  while  the  differences  are 
great.  The  reference  to  the  Isthmian  games,  and  the  fact  that  it  has 
borne  the  name  of  Clement,  make  it  probable  that  it  originated  in 
Corinth. 

The  date. — The  date  is  some  time  between  120  and  140  a.d.' 
On  the  basis  of  its  Christology,  Second  Clement  belongs  in  the  group 
with  Ignatius. 

I.    The  Christology  in  the  Letters  of  Ignatius 

I.      THE   CONCEPTION   OF   THE   RELATION   OF   CHRIST   TO   GOD 

Ignatius  uses  the  name  "Jesus  Christ"  as  the  usual  designation  of 
Christ.  Out  of  about  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  times  that  he  men- 
tions Christ,  he  calls  him  Jesus  Christ  one  hundred  and  seven  times, 
leaving  only  twenty-five  times  that  he  applies  to  him  other  names. 

(1)  The  titles  given  to  Christ  and  their  significations 

He  applies  to  Christ  all  the  titles  used  by  Clement,  o  Kvpios,  6  awn^p, 
6  Apxupiik,  o  xpio"Td«,  6  vi6<:  Oiov,  and  one  most  significant  additional 
title  o  $€0%.  He  gives  also  to  some  of  these  titles  which  had  already 
been  employed  a  wider  meaning.  He  uses  the  title  6  Kvpio<:  to 
denote  the  authority  of  Christ  over  men  in  every  relation  in  which  he 

'  Lightfoot,  Apostolic  Fathers,  Clement  of  Rome,  II,  191-210. 


24  THE  CHRISTOIOGY   IN   THE   APOSTOLIC   FATHERS 

considers  men.  His  authority  extends  over  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
believer.  He  watches  over  their  safety.  Men  must  obey  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  Lord  in  order  that  they  may  prosper  in  all  things.  They 
must  be  obedient  to  the  bishop  as  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  "live  not  after 
men  but  after  Jesus  Christ."'  His  power  extends  over  the  body  as  well 
as  the  spirit.  He  uses  "flesh  and  spirit"  very  frequently  to  designate 
the  whole  man.'  Ecclesiastical  affairs  are  under  his  authority.  Christ 
is  the  bbhop  of  all.  The  bishop  of  the  local  church  is  under  the  authority 
of  Christ.  The  deacons  of  the  church  "have  been  appointed  according 
to  the  mind  of  Jesus  Christ,  whom  after  his  own  will  he  confirmed  and 
established  by  his  Holy  Spirit."^  The  marital  relations  must  be  in 
harmony  with  the  Lord.  The  award  of  honor  and  the  acceptance  or 
rejection  of  men  are  under  the  authority  of  Christ.*  The  extent  of 
God's  authority  is  not  greater  than  Christ's.  He  recognizes  so  fully  the 
sway  of  Christ  in  every  realm  that  to  the  mind  of  Ignatius  there  seem 
to  be  no  limits  to  the  authority  of  Christ.  Here  is  a  marked  difference 
between  Ignatius  and  Clement.  Christ  is  presented  almost  constantly 
by  Clement  as  acting  under  the  direction  of  the  Father.  Clement  saw 
the  supreme  authority  of  God  back  of  Christ,  In  the  view  of  Ignatius 
the  background  with  God  in  it  fades  away,  and  Christ  stands  alone 
as  Lord  over  men. 

The  author's  use  of  (rwTrjp,  apxtepivi,  and  6  x/moto«  has  not  much 
significance  in  it.  He  indicates  in  no  way  by  his  use  the  content  of  the 
word  (Tdyrrip.  Christ  as  <ipx"P«v9  is  the  mediator  between  God  and 
men.  He  is  the  door  to  the  Father  through  whom  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  enter  in.  The  author  uses  6  XP"^'^^'*  only  once  as  a  title,  and 
there  is  nothing  in  the  context  to  show  his  conception  of  the  Messiah. 
He  uses  vio<i  in  the  following  combinations:  tov  vlov  airav,  tw  vlw 
db^/Dwirov,  viov  deov  Kara  Bikrjfia  kcu  StWfuv  deov.  The  title  indicates  that 
he  is  son  in  the  metaphysical  sense.  Two  of  these  titles  are  espe- 
cially significant,  roi)  fiwov  vlov  avrov  is  a  reflection  of  John  r :  14 
and  3:16:  Boiav  is  fioroyevovs  trapa  miTpoi,  and  tov  viov  tov  /iovoyem/. 
Such  a  title  separates  him  from  men.  vlov  deov  Kara  dtKrjfjM.  koI 
&vva/juv  Otov  stands  in  contrast  to  his  human  nature.  His  human 
nature  is  accounted  for  by  his  descent  from  David.  But  this  fails  to 
exhaust  the  idea  which  the  author  has  of  him.     His  existence  also  pro- 

'Philad.  s;  Mag.  13;  Trail.  2. 

» Ephes.  10:3;  Mag.  i;  Lightfoot,  Apostolic  Fathers,  Ignatius  and  Polycarp, 
II,  r6o. 

»  Philad.  Int.;  Pol.  Int.;  Mag.  3:1.  *  Pol.  5;  PhiliKk  11. 


CHRIST  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST  2$ 

ceeds  from  the  divine  will  and  power.  But  the  most  significant  title 
which  Ignatius  gives  to  Christ  is  o  dto^.  Lightfoot  maintains  that 
Ignatius  never  uses  ^<os  of  Christ  in  an  absolute  sense.  Some  adjective 
or  modifying  phrase  is  used  or  the  word  is  used  predicatively.  The  cor- 
rectness of  this  statement  can  scarcely  be  maintained.  There  are  some 
passages  which  can  be  explained  in  no  other  way  than  in  the  absolute 
sense.  At  least  they  are  so  used  in  the  text  as  it  is  given  to  us.  Light- 
foot  recognizes  this  fact  and  is  compelled  to  resort  to  the  expedient  of  a 
corrupt  text.  An  examination  of  the  instances  in  which  Ignatius  uses 
dcos  will  confirm  the  statement  that  he  uses  it  in  an  absolute  sense. 
The  title  is  applied  to  Christ  thirteen  times  in  these  letters.  Seven 
times  it  is  "our  God,"  as  in  Ephes.  Int.  15:3;  18:2;  Rom.  Int.  3:3; 
Pol.  8:3.  Once  it  is  "God  in  men,"  Ephes.  7:2.  Once  it  is  "the  God 
who  has  bestowed  such  wisdom  upon  you,"  Smyr.  1:1.  Three  times  it 
is  used  without  any  qualification:  Ephes.  1:1,  "the  blood  of  God" 
Trail.  7:1,  "inseparable  from  God,  Jesus  Christ";  Smyr.  10:  i,  "minis- 
ters of  Christ,  God."  Thus  it  is  seen  that  out  of  the  thirteen  times  that 
the  title  is  applied  to  Christ,  three  times  it  is  applied  absolutely.  Light- 
foot  thinks  that  the  use  of  "  blood  of  God  "  and  "  blood  of  Christ "  as  con- 
vertible expressions  gives  no  warrant  for  the  conclusion  that  he  would 
therefore  speak  of  Christ  as  God  absolutely.  But  it  is  difficult  to  see 
how  the  equivalence  of  the  two  expressions  destroys  its  absolute  use  in 
this  instance.  Moreover,  the  absolute  use  cannot  be  denied  to  Smyr. 
10:1,  xP*<''^<"'  deov,  except  by  maintaining  that  the  text  is  corrupt 
here,  Lightfoot  retains  xp"""^  but  brackets  it.  Gebhardt,  Hamack, 
and  Zahn  retain  XP"""^  without  the  brackets.  There  has  been  some 
attempt  where  ^urrov  is  retained  to  interpret  it  as  if  there  were  a  k<u 
between  ^urrov  and  dtav,  and  even  Lightfoot  shows  sympathy  with 
this  interpretation  and  wishes  to  read  it  "inseparable  from  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  bishop,"  although  the  text  is  kept  as  Gebhard 
Harnack,  and  Zahn  give  it.  However,  Lightfoot  acknowledges  that 
such  an  absence  of  the  connective  is  contrary  to  the  genius  of  the  Greek 
language.'  Goltz  has  made  a  careful  study  of  the  way  in  which  Ignatius 
forms  compounds  with  deos.  The  messenger  who  should  carry  the 
letters  from  Asia  Minor  to  Antioch  is  called  in  Pol.  7:2  ^eojpofiof. 
Again  in  Smyr.  11:2,  he  is  called  deoxpca^tvrri^.  Polycarp  is  addressed, 
Pol.  7:2,  as  6iofuiKdpurTo<: .  In  Smyr.  1:2,  the  passion  of  Christ  is 
spoken  of  as  dtofiaKapirrp.  The  Magnesian  Christians,  Mag.  1:2, 
are  accounted  worthy  to  bear  a  name  deojr/KwcordTov.  In  Ephes.  2:1, 
'  Apostolic  Fathers,  Ignatius  and  Polycarp,  II,  389. 


26  THE  CHRISTOLOGY   IN   THE   APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

Crocus  is  said  to  be  Otov  dStos.  Goltz  concludes  from  these  passages 
that  Ignatius  has  a  tendency  to  designate  the  divine  character  of  an 
act  or  of  a  person  by  6e6^.  So  he  interprets  Ignatius'  appUcation  of 
dcos  to  Christ  in  the  same  way.  The  divine  act  of  Christ  in  bringing 
salvation  entitles  him  to  be  called  deck,  deos  is  the  collective  denotation 
of  the  good  of  salvation.'  It  must  be  noted,  however,  that  the  word 
d«o«  is  applied  to  an  act  or  a  person,  apart  from  God  or  Christ,  only 
once.  In  Ephes.  14:1,  he  says:  apxq  fikv  wt<rTts,  tc'Ao?  Sk  ayairq,  Toi 
a  Svo,  iv  ivorrjfn  yevo/tcm,  ^eos  coriv.  Here  he  characterizes  as  6w 
the  essential  qualities  of  God  which  he  wishes  the  Ephesians  to 
possess.  This  is  the  only  significant  use,  and  the  bold  application  by  a 
figure  of  speech  of  6'cos  to  a  thing  is  very  different  from  calling  a  his- 
torical person  6w.  In  all  of  the  other  instances,  the  relation  to  God  is 
clearly  indicated  from  the  adjective  with  which  he  combines  ^cos.  It  is 
a  long  step  from  this  modified  use  of  dto^  in  compound  words  to  its  use 
without  any  qualification.  In  this  unmodified  sense  6t6<i  is  applied  to 
Christ,  and  for  such  use  there  is  no  analogy  furnished  by  its  indirect  ap- 
plication to  men,  or  its  evidently  boldly  figurative  application  to  things. 
Moreover,  the  fact  that  Ignatius  calls  Christ  "our  God"  seven  times*  and 
"my  God"  once^  prepares  the  reader  for  the  application  in  the  absolute 
sense,  and  these  instances  in  which  it  occurs  come  without  any  suggestion 
of  inappropriateness. 

(2)  Ascriptions  to  Christ 

Pre-existence,  eternal  existence,  omniscience,  and  holiness  are  ascribed 
to  Christ,  and  prayer  is  addressed  to  him.  Christ  was  with  the  Father 
before  the  worlds.  Christ  shared  with  the  Father  in  the  act  of  fore- 
ordination  'before  the  ages,"  and  he  appeared  at  the  end  of  time 
in  the  likeness  of  men.^  Ignatius  declares  still  more  absolutely  the 
eternity  of  Christ.  He  is  "ingenerate."^  The  parallel  clauses  show 
that  he  means  that  as  God  he  is  "ingenerate"  and  that  as  man  he  is 
"generate."  Lightfoot  has  shown  in  an  excursus  on  ycwT/ros  and 
iyivrifroi  that  Ignatius  does  not  use  these  words  with  the  same  accuracy 
with  which  they  were  employed  by  later  theologians.'  Ignatius  has  no 
intention  to  deny  the  eternal  generation  of  the  Son  as  it  was  asserted  by 

'  Ed.  V.  d.  Goltz,  Ignatius  von  AnliochUn  als  Christ  und  Theologe,  in  Texk  und 
UnUrsuchungen,  B.  12,  S.  21-29. 

'  Ephes.  Int.  7:2;   15:3;  18:2;  Rom.  3:3;  Int.;  Pol.  8:3. 

J  Rom.  6:3.  *  Mag.  6;  Ephes.  Int.  5  Ephes.  7. 

'  Apostolic  Fathers,  Ignatius  and  Polycarp,  II,  90-94. 


CHRIST   THE  CENTER  OF   INTEREST  2'J 

later  theologians.  The  idea  of  "eternal  generation"  was  not  present 
to  his  mind,  not  having  yet  been  developed.  The  word  that  was  later 
used  to  express  the  fact  which  Ignatius  has  in  mind  was  iyivrfrot. 
Christ  as  God  was  not  only  before  the  ages,  but  he  was  "increate." 
In  Pol.  3:2,  he  writes:  "Await  him  that  is  above  every  season,  the 
eternal" — t6v  axpovw.  axpovoc  denotes  here  "transcending  the  limits 
of  time,"  "eternal."  The  declaration  of  his  eternity  is  made  also  in 
Mag.  7:2:  "who  came  forth  from  the  Father,  and  is  with  One,  and 
has  departed  unto  One."  The  e.xpression  <ts  em  ovra  described  the 
eternal  union  of  the  Son  with  the  Father.  A  similar  expression  is 
found  in  John  18:1:  /novoycv^S  dew  6  Stv  «t?  t6v  koXttov  tov  Tarpo?.' 
Christianity,  in  order  to  evade  the  charge  that  it  was  new,  falls  back  upon 
the  pre-existence  of  Christ.*  He  was  the  teacher  of  Moses  and  the 
prophets.  He  was  different  from  the  Father  and  also  pre-existed.  This 
excludes  modalism.^  There  is  no  express  declaration  of  the  omni- 
science of  Christ,  but  it  is  involved  in  the  functions  ascribed  to  him. 
God  is  represented  as  shepherd.*  Then  in  the  next  line  Ignatius  says 
that  Jesus  alone  shall  be  shepherd.  The  care  of  the  invisible  bishop 
involves  omniscience.  When  he  speaks  of  the  bishop  as  God,  in  Mag.  3, 
he  adds  that  nothing  is  hid  from  the  eyes  of  the  invisible  bishop.  Such 
knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  bishop  was  used  to  warn  the  Christians 
against  sinning.  In  his  letter  to  the  Ephesians,  Ignatius  informs  them 
that  it  is  his  purpose  to  write  a  second  tract  to  them  if  it  is  the  divine 
will,  and  if  the  Lord  should  reveal  aught  to  him.  Here  o  Kvjpiof  denotes 
Christ.  Ignatius  never  uses  this  title  of  the  Father.  Christ  is  the 
treasury  of  knowledge  from  which  Ignatius  drew.  Jesus  Christ  is  their 
only  teacher.  He  has  bestowed  wisdom  upon  them.*  But  the  most 
direct  ascription  of  omniscience  to  Christ  is  in  Ephes.  Int.  There  he 
says  that  foreordination  is  by  the  will  of  the  Father  and  Jesus  Christ. 
Foreordination  involves  omniscience. 

Holiness  is  also  involved  in  the  ascriptions  made  to  Christ.  He 
is  true  life;  he  is  the  mind  of  God;  he  is  the  unerring  mouth  of  the 
Father;  he  is  perfect  faithfulness.  He  can  be  relied  upon  with  absolute 
certainty  to  remember  those  who  have  lived  righteously.  In  Ephes.  17, 
there  is  a  reflection  of  Mark  14: 1-8,  the  anointing  of  Christ.  He  says 
that  the  ointment  was  poured  upon  the  head  of  the  Lord  in  order  that 
he  might  breathe  incorruption  upon  the  church.     The  teaching  of  the 

'/W</.,  123. 

'  Domer,  Div.  I,  Vol.  I,  p.  ti3.  *  Rom.,  chap.  9. 

J  Golu,  6.  13,  S.  15.  s  Mag.  9:3;  Smyr.  i:t. 


28  THE   CHRISTOLOGY   IN   THE   APOSTOLIC   FATHERS 

prince  of  this  world  robs  men  of  life,  but  Christ  preserves  life.  He  urges 
the  Magnesians  to  unity  and  to  obedience  to  the  bishop  and  then  holds 
up  Christ  as  the  example  of  righteous  conduct.  He  did  nothing  without 
the  Father  and  is  the  pattern  "than  whom  there  is  nothing  better."  He 
is  presented  constantly  as  the  norm  of  righteous  conduct.  Men  should 
run  in  harmony  with  the  mind  of  God.  Christ  is  the  mind  of  God. 
And  all  conduct  in  obedience  to  him  is  righteous.  All  such  statements 
rest  upon  the  assumption  that  Christ  is  holy. 

The  general  attitude  of  dependence  finds  fullest  expression  in  the 
address  of  prayer  to  Christ.  When  he  writes  to  the  Romans  about  his 
anticipated  death  by  the  wild  beasts,  he  asks  them  to  supplicate  the 
Lord  for  him  that  through  these  instruments  he  may  be  found  a  sacrifice 
to  God.  Gebhardt,  Harnack,  and  Zahn  read  tov  )(puTr6v  instead  of 
Kvpiov  as  read  by  Lightfoot.  The  kindness  of  the  church  at  Ephesus  in 
sending  delegates  to  meet  him  at  Smyrna  awakens  in  his  heart  "thanks- 
giving to  the  Lord."  Philo  and  Rhaius  Agathopus,  who  had  been  treated 
well  by  the  church  at  Smyrna,  "gave  thanks  to  the  Lord  for  you,  because 
you  refreshed  them  in  the  way."'  Ignatius'  use  of  o  KvpuK  to  designate 
Christ,  and  not  God  the  Father,  furnishes  the  proof  that  Christ  is 
here  the  object  of  prayer.  The  address  of  prayer  to  Christ  is  a  distinct 
advance  over  Clement.  Men  come  to  God  through  Christ  according 
to  Clement,  but  Christ  is  not  made  the  direct  object  of  thanksgiving 
nor  do  men  supplicate  him  for  the  things  desired. 

(3)  Important  acts  and  functions  are  ascribed  to  the  Father 
and  Christ  conjointly 

Foreordination  "before  the  ages,"  direction  of  the  action  of  men  at 
present,  and  granting  mercy  are  acts  which  are  ascribed  to  the  Father 
and  Son  conjointly.  The  joint  action  is  carried  back  to  eternity,  and  is 
brought  down  to  the  present.  The  welfare  of  men  is  traced  to  the  joint 
action  of  the  Father  and  Son  in  eternity,  and  men  are  at  present  depend- 
ent upon  both  Father  and  Son.  Christians  belong  to  God  and  Jesus 
Christ  conjointly.  This  ownership  is  predicated  both  of  individuals 
and  of  the  church.  God  and  Jesus  Christ  are  conjointly  bishop.  He 
declares  that  the  two  are  bishop  of  the  church  at  Antioch,  and  also  are 
bishop  of  Polycarp.  Fellowship  with  God  the  Father  and  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  common  basis  for  sending  "greetings"  to  others.  Ignatius  is  in 
union  with  God  and  Jesus  Christ;  the  Magnesians  partake  of  the  same 

'  Ephes.  21:1;  Smyr.  10:1. 


CHRIST  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST  39 

fellowship;  this  union  forms  a  bond  of  connection  on  the  basis  of  which 
greetings  pass  from  one  to  the  other.' 

(4)  Jesus  is  subordinate  to  God 

However  little  the  subordination  of  Christ  to  God  is  emphasized, 
it  is  not  altogether  absent.  Jesus  is  an  agent.  He  mediates  between 
God  and  men.  He  is  the  unerring  mouth  of  God.  The  mind  of  the 
Father  comes  to  expression  through  the  words  of  Jesus.  Jesus  is  the 
revelation  of  the  character  of  God.  As  the  high  priest,  Jesus  is  the  door 
through  whom  men  enter  in  to  the  Father.  Even  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  must  enter  through  this  door.  Jesus  was  under  the  authority  of 
the  Father.  God  sent  him  into  the  world.  On  earth  Jesus  was  subject 
to  the  authority  of  the  Father.  Jesus  imitated  the  Father.  God 
raised  up  the  Eucharist,  the  flesh  of  Christ.'  The  attitude  of  Ignatius 
toward  Christ  is  shown  not  by  his  denial  of  the  subordination  of  Christ 
to  God,  but  by  the  emphasis  which  he  puts  upon  Christ's  authority, 
independence,  and  association  with  the  Father.  We  may,  therefore, 
summarize  Ignatius'  teaching  concerning  the  relation  of  Christ  to  the 
Father  as  follows:  Christ  possesses  the  divine  attributes  of  eternity, 
omniscience,  and  holiness.  He  has  the  power  to  give  life.  He  is  associ- 
ated with  God  in  all  the  functions  which  are  ascribed  to  God.  He 
possesses  divine  qualities.  He  is  called  God.  And  very  slight  emphasis 
is  put  upon  his  subordination  to  God. 

2.     THE  TWO  NATURES  OF  CHRIST 

The  great  ideas  upon  which  Ignatius  dwells  grow  out  of  the  prac- 
tical needs  of  his  situation.  This  is  true  in  regard  to  his  teaching  con- 
cerning: (i)  the  reality  of  Christ's  human  nature;  (2)  the  place  of 
Christ's  passion  in  the  believer's  life;   (3)  union  with  Christ. 

The  reality  of  Christ's  human  nature  is  maintained  in  opposition 
to  Docetism.  Ephes.  7:18-20;  Trail.  9-11;  and  Smyr.  1-4  are  devoted 
to  this  subject.  While  the  purp>ose  of  the  author  is  to  assert  the  reality 
of  Christ's  human  nature,  at  the  same  time  he  is  not  content  to  present 
the  human  nature  alone.  So  over  against  the  hiunan  nature,  he  con- 
stantly puts  the  divine.  He  is  "of  the  seed  of  David  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost " ;  he  is  "  both  son  of  man  and  son  of  God" ;  he  is  born  as  man  and 
not  bom  as  God;  he  is  bom  of  both  "Mary  and  of  God."    His  divine 

•Ephes.  Int.;  Mag.  Int.;  Rom.  Int.;  Philad.  Int.  3:2;  Smyr.  Int.;  Pol.  Int.; 
TraU.  1:1. 

*  Rom.  8:2;  Mag.  7:8;  8:2;  13:2;  Smyr.  7:1;  8:1;  Trail.  9:2. 


30  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

nature  is  presented  to  show  that  the  human  side  does  not  exhaust  Igna- 
tius, conception  of  Christ.  He  speaks  of  only  two  events  in  the  life  of 
the  historical  Christ,  and  these  are  the  beginning  and  end  of  his  life.  He 
was  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  he  was  crucified  under  Pontius  Pilate. 
The  proofs  of  the  reality  of  his  human  nature  are  his  birth,  suffering, 
death,  and  appearance  after  his  resurrection.  He  came  into  the  world 
subject  to  the  laws  which  govern  birth,  and  in  his  life  he  was  subject  to 
the  condition  of  suffering  under  which  men  universally  live.  Only  a 
real  man  could  suffer  as  other  men  suffer.  The  reality  of  his  resurrection 
is  dwelt  upon,  and  the  proof  of  it  is  taken  from  John  20:24-29,  the 
account  of  Christ's  appearance  to  his  disciples.  He  says  to  the  disciples, 
according  to  the  quotation  of  Ignatius:  "Lay  hold  and  handle  me,  and 
see  that  I  am  not  a  demon  without  a  body."  And  then  Ignatius  says 
"Straightway  they  touched  him,  and  they  believed,  being  joined  to  his 
flesh  and  blood."'  And  their  conviction  of  his  reality  inspired  them 
with  great  courage  and  lifted  them  above  the  fear  of  death.  The  bonds 
of  Ignatius  are  a  proof  to  him  of  the  reality  of  Christ's  suffering.  To 
Ignatius  his  willingness  to  suffer  and  his  desire  to  fight  with  wild  beasts 
are  inexplicable  except  as  the  effect  upon  his  heart  of  the  real  sufferings 
of  Christ.'  That  which  was  most  fundamental  in  its  effects  upon 
Christian  life  was  not  a  semblance.  Rather,  those  who  deny  the  reality 
of  the  sufferings  are  themselves  mere  semblances. 

3.     THE   DEATH   OF   CHRIST 

Ignatius'  own  anticipated  martyrdom  gave  the  death  of  Christ  deep 
significance  to  his  mind.  He  affirms  the  historical  fact  of  his  death,  the 
reality  of  his  passion,  and  the  function  of  his  death.  The  first  two  points 
have  been  presented  above.  So  the  function  of  his  death  must  now  be 
considered. 

He  dies  to  deliver  men  from  death,  and  his  death  is  the  ground  upon 
which  God  forgives  sin,  and  justifies  the  believer.  In  Trail.  2:1,  he 
says:  "He  died  for  us,  in  order  that  you  believing  might  escape  dying." 
The  infinitive  A.iro$av€iv  denotes,  not  a  state  of  death,  but  the  act  of 
dying.  Christ's  death  relieved  men  from  the  necessity  to  suffer  death. 
Faith  is  the  condition  upon  which  men  appropriate  the  benefits  of  Christ's 
death.  He  says  "faith  in  his  death"  either  because  he  considered  the 
confession  of  the  reality  of  his  death  a  test  of  Christian  faith,  or  because 
he  considered  that  it  was  by  virtue  of  his  death  that  faith  in  him  was 
effective.    He  employs  the  word  Avrpow  in  Philad.  11  :i.    He  says: 

*  Smyr.  3. 


CHKIST  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST  3S 

ot   Si    (trtfuuravTCC    avrovc    XvTp<a6iiri<rav    iv  t^   yapiri  rau  *Ii^ov  ^(purTm. 

He  prays  that  the  Lord  may  receive  those  who  have  honored  the  mes- 
sengers who  ministered  to  him.  In  the  case  of  those  who  have  dis- 
honored the  ministers  of  Ignatius,  the  inference  is  that  their  conduct  has 
made  them  displeasing  to  the  Lord,  and  so  liable  to  punishment.  He 
prays  that  the  favor  of  the  Lord  may  remit  the  punishment.  He  is 
leading  them  not  out  of  one  moral  state  into  another,  but  out  of  a  state 
of  liability  to  punishment  into  a  state  where  there  is  no  such  liability. 
In  Philad.  8:2,  he  says  that  through  their  prayers  he  hopes  to  be  justi- 
fied by  the  cross  of  Christ,  He  is  considering  the  sins  of  division  and 
anger.  Two  ends  are  held  in  view :  forgiveness  of  the  sin  and  deliverance 
from  the  power  of  the  sin.  Two  conditions  are  given  upon  which  these 
purposes  can  be  attained:  repentance  and  the  cross  of  Christ.  These 
conditions  are  not  joined  together  formally.  He  says:  "The  Lord 
forgiveth  all  men  when  they  repent."  He  also  says  that  he  expects  to 
be  justified  by  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  that  men  escape  death  through 
faith  in  Christ.'  Repentance  and  faith  are  required  of  men  in  order  that 
their  sins  may  be  forgiven,  and  the  death  of  Christ  is  the  groimd  upon 
which  the  favor  is  exercised.  Ignatius  is  not  content  to  view  the  effect 
of  Christ's  death  as  begirming  at  a  certain  historical  moment,  the  time 
when  he  was  crucified.  The  effect  of  Christ's  death  began  in  eternity. 
They  were  "united  and  elect  in  a  true  passion  by  the  will  of  the  Father 
and  Jesus  Christ  our  God."'  The  death  of  Christ  is  thus  viewed  as  the 
ground  of  the  election  of  men.' 

The  moral  effects  of  Christ's  death  occupy  a  far  more  prominent 
place  in  the  thought  of  Ignatius.  The  passion  and  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  are  the  center  aroimd  which  the  thought  of  Ignatius  revolves. 
Lightfoot  has  suggested  that  the  incarnation  has  significance  for  him 
only  because  it  leads  up  to  the  passion.  The  whole  Christian  life  springs 
out  of  the  passion  and  the  resurrection.^  He  says  to  the  Smymaeans  that 
they  are  the  fruit  of  Christ's  resurrection.  Death  is  the  tree  upon  which 
the  fruit  of  Christian  life  has  grown.  He  warns  the  Magnesians  against 
Judaism  and  the  observance  of  Sabbaths,  but  urges  them  to  fashion 
"their  lives  after  the  Lord's  day,  on  which  our  life  arose  through  him 
and  through  his  death."*  Life  out  of  death  is  fundamental  in  the  thought 
of  Ignatius.  "Repent  and  return  to  the  passion  which  is  our  resurrec- 
tion."'   Not  only  does  he  make  the  general  statement  that  the  whole 

» Trail.  2:1.  »Ephes.  Int. 

»  Lightfoot,  Apostolic  Fathers,  Ignaiius  and  Polycarp,  II,  25. 

«Smyr,  1:2.  (Mag.  9:1.  ♦Smyr.  5:3. 


32  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

life  of  the  believer  comes  from  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Christ,  but 
his  mind  is  so  filled  with  this  thought  that  he  constantly  connects  specific 
Christian  graces  with  the  death  of  Christ.  His  present  sufferings  and 
his  anticipated  and  greatly  desired  martyrdom  would  naturally  center 
his  thoughts  upon  the  death  of  Christ.  The  Trallian's  peace — felicity 
in  the  assurance  of  salvation — comes  from  the  death  of  Christ.'  So  also 
the  joy  of  the  Philadelphians  comes  from  the  death  of  Christ.'  He 
praises  the  Ephesians  for  their  well-beloved  name  to  which  they  are 
entitled  by  natural  right,  but  he  reminds  them  that  the  blood  of  Christ 
has  kindled  their  generosity  into  a  flame.^  Christ's  passion  inflames  the 
hearts  of  men  with  a  desire  for  the  most  generous  deeds.  His  own 
experience  testifies  to  the  power  of  the  death  of  Christ  to  produce  the 
highest  devotion  in  the  lives  of  men.  The  death  of  Christ  was  the 
pattern  for  his  own  martyrdom,  and  the  inspiration  to  it.  He  was 
humbled  by  the  cross,  and  yet  at  the  same  time  inspired  by  it.*  He  says 
that  he  longs  to  imitate  the  passion  of  his  God.  He  declares  that  if 
anyone  has  Christ  in  him,  he  will  understand  the  intensity  of  Ignatius' 
desire.  Christ's  death  is  that  which  fills  the  heart  of  Ignatius  with  love 
for  his  Lord.  He  says:  "It  is  good  for  me  to  die  for  Jesus  rather  than 
to  reign  over  the  bounds  of  the  earth.  Him  I  seek  who  died  on  our 
behalf,  "s  Christ's  death  is  the  power  which  made  love  firm  and  strong 
in  the  hearts  of  believers.*^  Christ's  death  as  a  principle  of  love  is  that 
power  in  the  world  which  transforms  the  lives  of  men.^  The  death  of 
Christ  is  a  great  factor  in  the  building-up  of  the  Christian  life.  He  uses 
Paul's  familiar  figure  of  the  building.  The  individual  members  are  stones 
in  the  temple  of  God.  They  "are  hoisted  up  to  the  heights  through 
the  engine  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  the  cross,  and  using  for  a  rope  the 
Holy  Spirit;  while  your  faith  is  your  windlass,  and  love  is  the  way  that 
leadeth  up  to  God."'  The  passion  of  Christ  furnishes  the  standard  which 
the  believer's  conduct  must  attain,  if  he  would  have  the  life  of  Christ 
in  him.'  In  one  peculiar  passage,  he  speaks  of  the  relation  of  Christ's 
blood  to  the  baptismal  waters.  Here  he  says:  " He  was  born  and  bap- 
tized that  by  his  passion  he  might  cleanse  water."" 

»  Trail.  Int.  »  Philad.  Int.  »  Ephes.  i :  i. 

*  Farrar,  Lives  of  the  Fathers,  I,  62. 

»  Rom.  6:1.  *Smyr.  1:1. 

»  Dorner,  Doctrine  of  the  Person  of  Christ,  I,  Vol.  I,  p.  107, 

•  Ephes.  9:1.  ♦  Rom.  6 : 3. 

"Ephes.  18:2.  Lightfoot,  Apostolic  Fathers,  Ignatius  and  Polycarp,  II,  75,  76, 
says  o(  this  passage:  "The  baptism  of  Christ  might  in  a  certain  sense  be  said,  in  the 
language  of  our  liturgy,  to  sanctify  water  to  the  mystical  washing  away  of  sins;  but 
it  was  the  death  of  Christ  which  gave  their  purifying  effect  to  the  baptismal  waters." 


CHRIST  THE  CENTER  OP  INTEREST  JJ 

Ignatius  takes  a  twofold  view  of  the  death  of  Christ.  It  had  vicari- 
ous value,  and  moral  power  over  the  lives  of  men. 

4.     THE  CONSTRUCTIVE  ASPECT  OF  CHRIST'S   SOTERIOLOGICAL  WORK 

As  the  prominent  doctrines  of  Ignatius,  which  have  been  considered 
above,  grew  out  of  the  practical  needs  of  his  day,  so  does  this  one  of  union 
with  Christ.  Six  of  these  letters  are  full  of  exhortations  to  imity.  In 
the  churches  of  Asia  Minor  there  was  a  manifest  tendency  to  extreme 
individualism  which  was  disintegrating  the  church  and  giving  an  oppor- 
tunity for  the  entrance  of  heresy,  such  as  Docetism  and  Judaism.  There 
were  some  who  were  performing  the  functions  of  church  life  apart  from 
the  direction  of  the  constituted  ofl&cers.  Ignatius  admonishes  them 
to  obey  the  officers  as  a  means  of  securing  unity,  and  presents  unity  as 
a  safeguard  to  their  life.  This  unity  which  he  desired  in  the  church  led 
him  to  emphasize  unity  with  Christ  as  the  condition  of  life.  Christ  as 
living,  leading  the  church,  and  molding  the  life  of  believers  is  everywhere 
present  to  the  thought  of  Ignatius.  Christ  is  acting  upon  their  lives. 
Now  one  of  the  ways  in  which  Christ's  work  is  accomplished  in  men  is 
union  with  him.  Two  figures  set  forth  the  nature  of  this  imion  with 
Christ,  the  body  and  the  building.  He  says  to  the  Ephesians  that  they 
are  members  of  Christ,  and  urges  them  to  live  so  that  God  will  acknowl- 
edge them  as  members  of  his  son.  His  use  of  the  common  Pauline  figure 
to  express  the  relation  of  the  believer  to  Christ  shows  that  the  relation  is 
one  by  means  of  which  life  is  derived.'  The  figure  of  the  building  is 
employed  in  two  different  ways.  Believers  dwell  in  Christ,  and  Christ 
and  God  dwell  in  the  believer.*  The  latter  figure  is  the  one  most  fully 
developed.  He  describes  the  manner  of  building  the  temple  in  which 
God  dwells.  Then,  again,  each  believer  bears  his  shrine.  This  figure  is 
derived,  no  doubt,  from  the  prevalent  custom  at  Ephesus  at  that  time. 
The  pagans  in  their  processions  carried  images  of  their  gods.  Now,  he 
says  that  the  Christians  bear  their  shrines,  but  God  and  Christ  are  in 
them.  Thus  by  these  figures  he  portrays  the  nature  of  the  intimate 
relation  to  Christ  by  means  of  which  life  was  derived.  He  also  expresses 
union  with  Christ  by  the  Pauline  phrase  ^v  XP""'V-  They  are  found  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  this  relation  leads  unto  true  life.  In  Christ  Jesus  men 
live  forever."*  In  Christ  Jesus  "is  the  relation  which  forms  a  bond  of 
unity  between  men.  On  the  basis  of  this  common  union  with  Christ, 
Ignatius  sends  greeting  to  the  different  churches.  Apart  from  aill  figures, 
he  declares  that  believers  must  have  union  with  Jesus  and  the  Father, 

»  Ephes.  4:2.  '  Ephes.  10:3;  15:3.  »  Ephes.  2o:a. 


34  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

and  says  that  if  they  contmue  in  this  union  they  will  attain  unto  God.* 
This  statement  in  reference  to  union  with  Jesus  grows  out  of  the  exhorta- 
tion to  unity  among  the  disciples.  The  union  of  believers  he  regards  as 
something  more,  perhaps,  than  mere  harmony.  At  least,  their  union  was 
a  condition  of  life.  The  unity  of  the  membership  was  the  only  power 
which  would  hold  the  church  together  and  prevent  its  dissolution.* 
The  still  higher  relation  which  is  essential  to  life  is  union  with  Christ. 
In  Ephes.  3:2,  he  says  that  Jesus  is  their  inseparable  life.  He  is  not 
content  in  stating  in  general  terms  the  effect  of  union  with  Christ. 
Many  specific  effects  of  Christ's  work  are  given.  Christ  strikes  off 
their  fetters;  he  puts  the  stamp  of  God  upon  them;  he  breathes  incor- 
ruption  on  the  church;  he  is  the  physician  of  the  flesh  and  the  spirit; 
he  gives  strength  for  duties;  he  fills  the  heart  with  praise  to  God;  he 
gives  men  hope;  he  furnishes  the  ground  upon  which  they  expect  sal- 
vation.J 

5.      ESCHATOLOGY 

The  resurrection  of  the  believer  and  the  second  coming  of  Christ 
receive  but  small  notice  in  the  writings  of  Ignatius.  In  Trail.  9:2,  he 
says  that  the  Father  who  raised  up  Jesus  will  raise  up  the  Christians  also. 
And  in  the  inscription  to  the  Trallians  he  speaks  of  the  Christians' 
resurrection. 

In  Rom.  10:3,  he  speaks  of  the  "patient  waiting  for  the  coming  of 
Christ."  The  expectation  of  the  speedy  return  of  Christ  has  given 
place  to  the  patient  waiting  for  him.  If  Ignatius  had  "a  settled  convic- 
tion that  the  present  state  of  things  would  not  last  long,"^  he  gives  but 
little  expression  to  such  a  conviction. 

II.    The  Christology  in  the  Letter  of  Polycarp  to  the 
Philippians 

I.     the   high   rank  which   the   author   gives   to   CHRIST 

(i)  The  extent  of  Chrisfs  authority. — Christ  is  Lord  over  the  Christian 
community  and  the  lives  of  believers.  "Our  Lord"  and  "the  Lord" 
are  the  usual  designations  for  Christ.  These  two  titles  occur  in  this 
short  letter  about  twenty-five  times,  while  all  other  titles  occur  only 

*  Mag.  1 : 2. 

•Starbuck,  "The  Ignatian  Question,"  Andover  Review,  September,  1892,  says: 
"Without  this  every  church  will  go  to  pieces;  a  heresy  dissolving  the  very  historic 
forms  of  Christianity  will  have  free  entrance;  and  the  regenerate  life  which  is  essen- 
tially a  corporate  life  will  soon  be  lost  in  a  mist  of  discordant  atoms." 

»Philad.  8:1;  Mag.  5:2;  7:1;  Ephes.  17:8;  7:2;  4:2;  Smyr.  4:2. 

*  Cruttwell,  A  Literary  History  of  Early  Christianity,  I,  68. 


CHRIST  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST  35 

about  seventeen  times.  We  can  scarcely  admit  with  Deissmann  that 
the  title  "Lord"  is  itself  a  predication  of  divinity,  unless  we  take 
divinity  in  so  attenuated  a  sense  that  it  will  itself  call  for  definition.* 
Such  definition  can  be  best  made  by  considering  the  ascription  of 
authority  to  Christ.  Polycarp  says  that  the  will  of  Christ  is  the 
law  for  their  conduct  individually  and  collectively.  The  number  of 
times  that  the  title  "Lord"  is  used  shows  how  this  thought  permeates 
the  letter.  For  examples  of  this  use  consider  the  following  passages: 
II.  2 :  "  If  we  do  his  will  and  walk  in  his  commandments  " ;  IV.  i :  "  Walk 
in  the  commandment  of  the  Lord";  VI.  3:  "Serve  him  with  fear  and 
reverence  as  he  gave  commandment";  V.  3:  "Submitting  yourselves 
to  the  presbyters  and  deacons  as  to  God  and  Christ";  VI.  2:  "We  are 
before  the  eyes  of  our  Lord  and  God."  He  recognizes  clearly  the 
dependence  of  men  upon  Christ  for  salvation.  Here  Christ  is  Lord.  In 
the  introduction  he  gives  Christ  the  title  "Savior."  By  this  title  he 
expresses  the  thought  of  salvation  in  its  totaUty.  Throughout  the 
letter  some  more  definite  details  of  this  salvation  are  given.  Christ 
conjointly  with  God  the  Father  chooses  men;  Christ  grants  forgiveness; 
he  builds  men  up  in  the  faith;  and  his  work  ceases  not  until  the  future 
destiny  of  men  is  settled  and  he  acts  as  judge  of  the  living  and  the  dead 
and  grants  a  lot  and  portion  among  the  saints.'  His  authority  passes 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  Christian  commimity.  Polycarp  declares  that 
Christ  participates  with  God  in  the  government  of  the  world.  In  II.  i, 
he  says  that  Christ  has  a  position  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  Hamack 
traces  the  development  of  this  power.  He  says  that  from  being  the 
author  of  spiritual  life  his  power  extended  to  all  life. 

A  still  wider  reach  is  given  to  his  authority  in  two  noteworthy  state- 
ments. In  II.  I,  he  says:  "  Unto  whom  all  were  made  subject  that  are 
in  heaven  and  that  are  on  the  earth;"  and  also:  "He  is  judge  of  quick 
and  dead."  Lightfoot  thinks  that  although  he  does  not  use  the  title 
"God"  as  Ignatius  does,  he  assigns  to  him  an  even  higher  function. 

(2)  The  author's  habit  of  conjoining  Christ  with  God  in  important 
fimctions  and  prerogatives  indicates  the  rank  of  Christ.  This  mode 
of  thought  allies  him  closely  with  Ignatius  and  as  clearly  marks  him  off 
from  Clement.  The  attitude  toward  Christ  represented  by  the  two 
groups  is  entirely  different.    Clement's  greeting  is  mercy  and  peace 

'  Deissmann,  Light  front  the  Ancient  East,  p.  354,  says:  "It  may  be  said  with 
certainty  that  at  the  time  when  Christianity  originated,  'Lord'  was  a  divine  predicate 
intelligible  to  the  whole  Eastern  world." 

»Pol.  I.  i;  VI.  2;  XII.  2:  U.  I. 


36  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

from  God  the  Father  through  Christ.  But  Polycarp  says:  "  May  mercy 
and  i>eace  be  multiplied  from  Almighty  God  and  Jesus  Christ  our 
Savior."  This  expression  is  very  close  to  that  found  in  Paul's  saluta- 
tions, "grace  and  peace  from  God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."* 
Polycarp  conjoins  Christ  with  the  Father  in  the  following  fimctions: 
as  the  source  of  mercy  and  peace;  in  the  election  of  men  to  salvation; 
in  the  government  of  the  world;  in  beholding  the  conduct  of  men;  in 
building  men  up  in  faith;  and  as  the  object  of  love.* 

(3)  The  slight  emphasis  placed  upon  the  subordination  of  Christ  to 
God  indicates  the  high  rank  of  Christ  in  the  mind  of  the  author.  The 
idea  of  subordination  is  expressed  in  the  following  statements:  God 
raised  Christ  from  the  dead;  God  saves  men  through  Jesus  Christ; 
God  gave  Christ  glory  and  a  throne;  and  to  Christ  all  things  were 
subjected.*  In  this  last  passage,  the  power  was  clearly  conferred  by  God. 
Universal  dominion  is  not  exercised  by  Christ  alone.  He  shares  it  with 
the  Father,  as  all  those  passages  in  which  the  Father  and  Son  are  con- 
joined in  authority  show.  The  thought  of  subordination,  which  occupies 
so  large  a  place  in  Clement,  has  almost  entirely  disappeared  in  Polycarp. 
Only  once  does  he  say  that  God  saves  men  through  Christ,  while  the 
dominant  thought  of  his  letter  is  that  God  and  Christ  are  in  a  position 
of  virtual  equality  in  the  work  of  salvation.  The  subordination  implied 
in  God's  raising  Christ  applies  only  to  his  state  of  humiliation,  and  it 
is  doubtful  if  Polycarp  has  any  intention  of  expressing  subordination 
by  it.  He  gives  the  simple  historical  statement  in  the  language  of 
Scripture  without  any  thought  of  its  bearing  upon  the  rank  of  Christ. 
And  it  is  certain  that  in  the  passage  which  represents  God  as  giving  a 
throne  to  Christ  that  the  subordination  involved  in  "giving"  is  not 
at  all  in  the  author's  mind.  He  has  his  mind  fixed  upon  the  "glory" 
and  the  "throne" — the  exaltation  of  Christ. 

2.     THE  FUNCTION  OF  CHRIST's  DEATH 

Polycarp  is  far  removed  from  Ignatius  in  the  emphasis  which  he 
places  upon  the  death  of  Christ.  In  Ignatius  the  death  of  Christ  occupies 
a  central  place.  Men  are  exhorted  to  believe  on  the  death  of  Christ. 
The  death  of  Christ  is  a  source  of  life.  The  attention  of  Polycarp  is 
only  slightly  fixed  on  the  death  of  Christ.  Lightfoot  calls  attention  to 
the  fact  that  in  Ignatius  the  blood  of  Christ  is  presented  as  a  center  of 

»Rom.  1:7;  I  Cor.  1:3;  II  Cor.  1:2;  Phil.  1:2. 

»Int.  I.  i;  II.  1;  III.  i;  V.  23;  VI.  2;  XII.  2. 

»I.  2,3;  n.  1,  2;  DC.  2;  XII.  2. 


CHRIST  THE  CENTER  OP  INTEREST  37 

unity,  while  in  Polycarp  it  is  presented  as  a  crime  demanding  vengeance." 
Christ's  death  is  mentioned  three  times,  in  the  following  places:  II.  i; 
VIII.  I ;  and  IX.  2.  These  passages  have  already  been  noticed.  There 
is  the  simple  statement  in  IX.  2  that  he  died  in  behalf  of  us  and  in  itself 
the  statement  gives  no  clue  to  the  author's  conception  of  the  function  of 
Christ's  death.  The  idea  is  implied  in  the  context,  as  Domer  had  sug- 
gested,' that  his  death  begot  love  in  the  hearts  of  the  disciples.  They 
loved  him  who  died  for  them.  The  function  of  his  death  is  more  clearly 
stated  in  VIII.  i.  He  bore  our  sins  on  the  tree  that  we  through  union 
with  him  might  live.  This  passage  reflects  I  Pet.  2 :  21-25,  which  in  turn 
is  foimded  upon  Isa.,  chap.  53.  On  the  assumption  that  I  Peter  reflects 
the  idea  of  Isaiah,  that  the  suffering  servant  bears  the  penalty  of  others' 
sins,  and  that  Polycarp  reflects  the  thought  of  I  Peter,  this  passage  means 
that  Christ  bore  the  penalty  of  sins  for  others.  He  endured  death  for 
sins  which  were  not  his  own  in  order  that  men  might  live,  that  is,  need 
not  endure  the  death  on  account  of  sin  which  fell  upon  him. 

The  purpose  that  the  author  has  in  view  is  entirely  practical,  and  his 
main  point  is  that  Christ's  endurance  of  death  furnishes  an  example  to  be 
imitated.  In  chapters  six  and  seven  he  has  spoken  of  false  brethren, 
who  deny  the  testimony  of  the  cross,  who  pervert  the  oracles  of  the 
Lord,  and  who  say  that  there  is  no  resurrection  nor  judgment.  Against 
all  this  current  of  evil  and  error,  the  Philippian  Christians  must  stand 
firm.  The  great  example  of  endurance  is  Christ  on  the  cross.  It  may 
be  doubted  if  the  thought  of  Polycarp  goes  beyond  Christ  as  an  example. 
At  least  it  is  certain  that  the  main  use  that  he  makes  of  this  Scripture 
is  that  he  gains  here  an  example  of  endurance  for  the  imitation  of  the 
Philippians.  In  connection  with  the  death  of  Christ,  he  speaks  of  his 
holiness,  an  idea  that  is  implied,  however,  in  his  work  of  salvation. 

3.     THE    CONSTRUCTIVE    ASPECT    OF    CHRIST'S    SOTERIOLOGICAL    WORK 

Faith  in  Christ  is  the  condition  of  salvation.  He  commends  the 
Philippians  for  the  steadfast  root  of  their  faith,  famed  from  primitive 
times,  which  abides  yet  and  bears  fruit  imto  the  Lord.  Again  he 
says  that  a  portion  of  the  future  world  of  bliss  is  dependent  on  faith. 
Christ  and  God  build  men  up  in  faith  as  a  comprehensive  grace.J  While 
faith  is  thus  recognized  as  the  source  of  the  Christian's  life,  the  emphasis 
of  the  letter  as  a  whole  is  upon  works  worthy  of  a  Christian  rather  than 

'  Lightfoot,  Apostolic  Fathers,  Ignatius  and  Polycarp,  I,  579,  580. 
*  Dorner,  Doctrine  of  the  Person  of  Christ,  Div.  I,  Vol.  I. 

»i.  2;  xn.  2. 


38  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

upon  the  inner  source  of  good  works.  They  must  forsake  evil  prac- 
tices, follow  righteousness,  walk  blamelessly,  be  compassionate,  endure, 
and  they  shall  receive  the  future  world.  He  has  the  Pauline  idea  of 
imion  with  Christ.  His  use  of  the  phrase  ev  ainS  shows  this.  He 
suffered  that  men  might  live  "in  him."  He  exhorts  the  Christians  to 
be  perfect  "  in  him."  Union  with  Christ  is  the  source  of  their  life.  Such 
union  furnishes  the  means  for  them  to  attain  strength  and  perfection  of 
character,  and  it  forms  the  bond  of  Christian  fellowship. 

4.     ESCHATOLOGY 

He  has  no  detailed  treatment  of  the  last  things.  He  expects  Christ 
to  come  again,  to  raise  the  dead,  and  to  judge  men.*  His  statement 
that  the  covetous  and  idolatrous  will  be  judged  as  the  Gentiles  who  are 
ignorant  of  the  judgment  of  the  Lord  is  the  only  statement  that  implies 
a  resurrection  of  the  wicked.  The  other  statements  about  the  resurrec- 
tion apply  only  to  the  righteous.  His  statement  in  VI,  2,  that  at  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ  each  must  give  an  account  of  himself,  conveys 
the  impression  that  the  judgment  will  be  made  on  the  basis  of  deeds, 
though  he  does  not  expressly  make  this  aflirmation. 

III.    The  Christology  in  the  Homily  of  Second  Clement 

I.     THE  HIGH  RANK  WHICH  THE  AUTHOR   GIVES   TO  CHRIST 

(i)  He  calls  Christ  God.  In  XIH.  4,  he  says:  "God  saith."  And 
then  the  quotation  of  Christ's  words  makes  it  certain  that  by  "  God"  he 
means  Christ.  For  he  gives  the  well-known  words  of  Christ:  "It  is 
no  thank  imto  you,  if  ye  love  them  that  love  you,  but  this  is  thank  unto 
you,  if  you  love  your  enemies  and  them  that  hate  you."  When  he 
speaks  of  the  future  kingdom  of  God,  he  says  that  no  one  knows  the  day 
of  God's  appearing.*  And  then  by  the  following  context  he  leaves  no 
doubt  that  he  refers  to  Christ's  appearing.  For  he  goes  on  to  say 
that  in  a  certain  conversation  the  Lord  himself,  being  asked  when  his 
kingdom  would  come,  said:  "When  the  two  shall  be  one,  and  the  outside 
as  the  inside,  and  the  male  with  the  female,  neither  male  nor  female. "^ 
In  the  opening  words  of  this  homily  the  author  urges  the  Christians  to 
think  of  Christ  as  they  think  of  God,  as  judge  of  the  living  and  dead. 

(2)  Second  Clement  gives  to  Christ  the  same  rank  as  to  God. 
Calling  him  " God"  is  not  something  which  may  be  regarded  as  a  lapse, 
or  due  to  carelessness,  or  really  out  of  harmony  with  the  fimdamental 

«V.  2;  II.  i;  VI.  2;  XI.  2. 

»  n  Clement  XII.  i.  *U  Clement  XU.  2. 


CHRIST  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST  39 

thought  of  the  author.  On  the  contrary,  this  designation  of  Christ  is 
in  accord  with  the  author's  fundamental  conception  of  Christ.  In 
common  with  all  this  group  of  writings,  he  regards  Christ  as  Lord  over 
the  Christians.  They  must  obey  his  commandments.  His  authority 
extends  to  the  future  judgment  day.  He  will  confess  or  deny  men  before 
his  Father  according  as  they  have  been  loyal  or  disloyal  to  him.  He  has 
power  to  cast  men  into  Gehenna.  Christ's  boundless  power  to  give 
life  leads  the  author  to  call  him  the  "Prince  of  immortality."  It  is  not 
the  mere  assignment  of  this  power  to  Christ  which  is  so  significant,  but 
the  author  has  shown  that  he  has  his  own  interpretation  of  this  work  of 
Christ.  His  saving  work  gives  to  Christ  the  same  rank  as  to  God. 
When  he  urges  them  to  think  of  Christ  as  God,  he  intends  to  put  the 
Creator  of  the  spiritual  life  on  the  same  level  with  the  Creator  of  the 
world.  Other  writers  in  this  period  will  carry  the  thought  still  further 
and  make  Christ  the  Creator  of  all  things.  But  Second  Clement  has  not 
advanced  so  far  as  that.  His  distinct  contribution  toward  such  develop- 
ment is  the  emphasis  which  he  puts  on  spiritual  creation  as  on  a  par 
with  universal  creation.  He  thinks  of  the  spiritual  life  in  terms  of  crea- 
tion. He  says  in  I.  8:  "For  he  called  us,  when  we  were  not,  and  from 
not  being  he  willed  us  to  be."  The  reference  in  this  verse  can  scarcely 
be  to  their  creation  in  the  absolute  sense.  For  in  vs.  7,  he  is  considering 
their  hopeless  condition  spiritually  apart  from  Christ.  When  they  had 
no  hope  Christ  called  them,  and  when  they  had  no  spiritual  life  he  willed 
them  to  be.  To  the  mind  of  the  homilist,  salvation  was  a  wonderful  work. 
The  Christians  must  not  think  mean  things  of  this  salvation.  He  who 
had  the  boundless  power  to  dispel  the  darkness  of  the  cloud  wherein  they 
were  wrapped,  who  could  give  unto  them  light,  and  who  was  the  Prince 
of  immortality,  who  by  the  power  of  his  will  called  them  from  not  being 
to  be — of  him  they  must  think  as  God. 

(3)  Second  Clement  gives  a  clear  statement  of  the  pre-existence  of 
Christ.  It  is  said  in  IX.  5:  "If  Christ  the  Lord  who  saved  us,  being 
first  spirit,  then  became  flesh,  and  so  called  us  in  like  manner,  we  shall  in 
this  flesh  receive  our  reward."  Domer  has  pointed  out  that  this  doc- 
trine is  stated  because  of  the  author's  desire  to  emphasize  the  dignity  of 
the  body.  Christ  became  flesh,  and  so  the  body  has  dignity.  But  for 
christological  purposes  this  passage  has  especial  value  because  of  the 
distinct  separation  which  the  author  makes  between  the  pre-existent  and 
the  incarnate  Christ.  He  was  spirit:  he  became  flesh.  This  expression 
resembles  the  declaration  in  John  1:14:  "And  the  Word  became  flesh, 
and  dwelt  among  Us  (and  we  beheld  his  glory,  glory  as  of  the  only 


40         THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOUC  FATHERS 

begotten  from  the  Father)  full  of  grace  and  truth."  His  life  was  not 
merely  the  manifestation  of  a  being  who  had  been  hidden  with  God;  he 
became  something  different.  Hamack  finds  in  this  passage,  which  is 
typical  of  the  teaching  of  the  Apostolic  Fathers  concerning  pre-existence, 
"the  root  of  the  orthodox  system  of  dogmatics,"  the  fundamental 
theological  and  philosophical  creed  on  which  the  whole  trinitarian  and 
christological  speculations  of  the  church  of  the  succeeding  centuries 
are  built."' 

(4)  His  slight  emphasis  upon  any  idea  of  subordination  also  indicates 
the  high  rank  which  he  gives  to  Christ.  There  are  only  a  few  passages 
from  which  the  idea  of  subordination  can  be  gained,  and  they  do  not  all 
represent  the  main  thought  of  the  author.  He  says:  "Through  him  we 
know  the  Father;  God  made  known  to  us  the  heavenly  life  through 
Jesus;  God  sent  forth  Jesus."'  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that 
the  homilist  calls  Jesus  God,  and  that  though  this  term  is  not  expressly 
applied  to  him  in  this  pre-existent  state,  yet  it  is  used  of  the  incarnation, 
which  is  not  a  process  of  exaltation  but  of  humiliation.  So  that  Hamack 
is,  perhaps,  very  nearly  correct  when  he  says:  "  Even  in  his  pre-existent 
state,  Christ  is  an  independent  power,  existing  side  by  side  with  God." 
And  again :  "  This  doctrine  threatens  the  monarchy  of  God."^ 

This  doctrine  of  the  high  rank  of  Christ  clearly  puts  this  work  in 
the  group  with  Ignatius,  in  which  group  we  find  the  first  stage  in  the 
development  of  Christology  after  Clement. 


2.     SECOND  CLEMENT  DIFFERENT  FROM  IGNATIUS  IN  CERTAIN 

RESPECTS 

Second  Clement  speaks  of  the  death  of  Christ  only  once.  He  says 
in  I.  2:  "He  endureth  to  suffer  for  our  sake."  This  statement  gives  no 
indication  of  the  author's  conception  of  the  function  of  Christ's  death, 
nor  does  he  make  the  death  a  center  of  unity,  nor  a  source  of  life  and  ac- 
tivities. Second  Clement  is  also  destitute  of  any  constructive  aspect 
of  Christ's  work  of  salvation.  He  doubtless  assumes  faith  and  union 
with  Christ,  but  he  says  nothing  about  them.  He  lays  the  stress  upon 
the  externalities  of  the  Christian  life.  The  conduct  must  be  in  harmony 
with  the  will  of  Christ,  and  the  sanction  of  conduct  is  the  power  of  Christ 
to  cast  the  disobedient  into  Gehenna.* 

»  History  of  Dogma,  I.  328.  » History  of  Dogma,  I,  33. 

»  ni.  I,  2;  XX.  5.  *  VI.  7;  VIII.  4. 


CHRIST  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST  4 1 

3.  ESCHATOLOGY 

Second  Clement  has  a  clear  plan  of  the  last  things.  In  this  respect 
it  is  more  explicit  than  Ignatius.  The  following  details  of  the  plan  are 
given: 

(i)  Jesus  will  come,  though  there  is  no  certainty  about  the  time  of 
his  coming.  He  attempts  to  indicate  the  time  by  saying  that  the  Lord 
himself  had  explained  that  he  would  come  when  his  disciples  had  attained 
a  certain  high  standard  of  conduct.  "When  the  two  shall  be  one,  and 
the  outside  as  the  inside,  and  the  male  with  the  female,  neither  male 
nor  female."'  This  condition  of  the  Lord's  second  coming  has  the 
happy  effect  of  not  binding  Second  Clement  to  any  definite  time  when 
the  Lord  would  come.  The  author  had  probably  seen  enough  dis- 
appointment in  this  matter  to  make  him  rather  wary  in  his  statement. 
But,  as  the  Scriptures  before  him,  he  turns  this  uncertainty  to  good 
advantage,  and  he  makes  the  certainty  that  he  will  come  and  the  imcer- 
tainty  when  he  will  come  the  basis  for  exhortation  to  righteous  conduct. 
"  Await  the  kingdom  of  God  betimes  in  love  and  righteousness,  since  we 
know  not  the  day  of  God's  appearing."'  And  when  Christ  comes,  he 
appears  as  God.^ 

(2)  Christ  will  judge  all  men.<  The  unrighteous  as  well  as  the 
righteous  are  under  his  dominion.  It  is  afl5rmed:  "The  unbelievers 
shall  see  his  glory  and  his  might."  When  he  appears  the  kingdom 
of  the  world  shall  be  given  to  him.  He  will  then  proceed  to  exercise 
judgment. 

(3)  The  basis  of  the  judgment  is  "works."  For  it  is  said:  "He  shall 
come  and  redeem  us,  each  man  according  to  his  works."  The  things 
which  are  enumerated  that  lead  to  condemnation  are  ungodly  lives, 
false  dealing  with  the  commands  of  Christ,  doing  amiss,  and  the  denial 
of  Jesus.  The  deeds  of  the  righteous  for  which  they  are  commended 
are  the  following:  having  done  good,  a  phrase  comprehensive  enough 
to  include  everything;  having  endured  torments;  and  having  hated  the 
pleasures  of  the  soul.  The  Christians  were  subject  to  persecution  at 
that  time.  The  date  120  a.d.  puts  this  homily  near  the  martyrdom  of 
Ignatius,  and  the  later  date,  140  a.d.,  is  only  fifteen  years  before  the 
martyrdom  of  Polycarp.  So  the  endurance  of  torment  was  very  natur- 
ally one  of  the  virtues  which  called  for  especial  regard.  Those  rewarded 
have  also  hated  the  pleasures  of  the  soul.  The  punishment  of  the  wicked 
will  be  grievous  torments  in  unquenchable  fire.    But  all  that  is  said  of 

« XII.  2.  •  XII.  I.  » XII.  3,  4.  *  XVII.  4-7. 


42         THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

the  righteous  is  that  there  will  be  hope  for  him  that  has  served  God  with 
his  whole  heart. 

SXJMMARY  OF  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  ChRISTOLOGY  IN  ThIS  GrOUP 

(i)  The  writers  of  this  group  show  a  new  attitude  toward  Christ 
as  compared  with  those  of  the  preceding  division,  Christ  and  his  work 
occupy  a  much  larger  place  than  in  the  first  group.  Clement  treated  of 
Christ  only  indirectly.  Christ  is  the  center  of  thought  here,  Ignatius, 
for  example,  conceives  of  the  work  of  Christ  in  a  variety  of  ways.  Christ 
is  an  example.  Christ  has  died  for  men.  Christ  is  the  giver  of  life, 
the  Prince  of  immortality.  Christ  is  the  source  of  blessings.  Christ 
is  an  object  of  prayer.  In  a  great  number  of  ways,  a  central  place  is 
given  to  Christ  in  these  writings. 

(2)  In  these  writings  there  is  a  change  in  emphasis  upon  the  sub- 
ordination of  Christ.  In  Clement  the  subordination  of  Christ  is  so 
emphasized  that  it  holds  the  prominent  place.  In  these  writings,  on 
the  contrary,  subordination  though  still  present  notably  recedes.  Igna- 
tius does  not  make  subordination  emphatic.  Polycarp  gives  still  less 
attention  to  it,  saying  only  that  God  raised  Christ  from  the  dead, 
God  saves  men  through  Christ,  and  God  gave  Christ  a  throne.  And 
Second  Clement  has  only  a  few  passages  from  which  the  idea  of  subordi- 
nation can  be  gained. 

(3)  These  writings  give  a  wide  extension  to  the  authority  of  Christ. 
In  Clement  the  authority  of  Christ  reaches  only  to  the  spiritual  lives  of 
men.  Here  Christ  is  Lord  over  the  whole  man,  spirit  and  body.  In 
Clement  the  authority  of  Christ  is  over  believers.  Here  he  is  Lord  over 
all  men.    This  is  the  representation  of  all  three  of  these  writers. 

(4)  A  greater  significance  is  attached  to  Christ's  work  of  salvation. 
Second  Clement  especially  thinks  of  Christ's  saving  work  in  terms  of 
creation.  This  conception  furnishes  an  anticipation  of  creation  in  the 
absolute  sense  which  is  assigned  to  Christ  by  the  next  group  of  these 
writings. 

(5)  The  ascription  of  eternal  pre-existence  to  Christ  is  another 
advance  over  the  first  group. 

(6)  The  function  of  judge  at  the  great  judgment  day  is  assigned  to 
Christ  by  all  of  these  writings. 

(7)  Christ  is  conjoined  with  the  Father  much  more  boldly  and 
thoroughly  than  in  the  first  group  of  writings.  The  Father  and  Son 
are  conjointly  the  hope  of  salvation  in  Clement.  But  the  thought  is 
expressed  only  once,  and  it  is  not  the  prevailing  mode  of  Clement's 


CHRIST  THE  CENTER  OF  INTEREST  43 

thought.  In  Clement's  salutation,  grace  and  peace  come  from  the 
Father  through  the  Son.  In  these  writings  the  Father  and  Son  are 
together  the  source  of  grace  and  peace.  They  are  conjoined  in  election 
and  foreordination ;  together  they  grant  mercy  to  men;  together  they 
direct  the  actions  of  men.  Men  belong  to  Christ  and  God.  Christ 
is  conjoined  with  God  in  authority  over  Christians,  in  the  government 
of  the  world,  in  beholding  the  conduct  of  men,  in  building  men  up  in 
faith,  and  as  the  object  of  the  believer's  love.  This  is  true,  however,  of 
Ignatius  only. 

(8)  Christ  is  called  God.  Ignatius  addresses  Christ  as  our  God,  or 
calls  him  God  in  a  modified  sense  a  number  of  times.  Three  times  he 
calls  him  God  in  the  absolute  sense.  Second  Clement  calls  Christ 
God  twice  without  any  limitations. 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  COSMOLOGICAL  FUNCTION  OF  CHRIST  APPEARS 

Introductory 
a.    the  letter  of  barnabas 

The  author. — The  earliest  witness  to  this  letter,  Clement  of  Alexan- 
dria, attributes  it  to  Barnabas  the  apostle.  There  is  no  indication  why 
he  ascribed  the  letter  to  the  apostle.  Lightfoot  has  suggested  that  the 
author  may  have  been  a  namesake  of  the  apostle.  In  this  case  the  con- 
fusion could  be  understood.  The  only  foundation  for  the  suggestion  is 
the  early  ascription  of  the  letter.  This  does  not  carry  us  beyond  con- 
jecture in  regard  to  the  author.  The  letter  itself  makes  it  perfectly 
clear  that  it  could  not  have  been  written  by  the  apostle.  In  V.  9,  he 
refers  to  the  apostles  in  such  a  way  that  he  seems  to  exclude  the  possibility 
that  the  writer  belonged  to  this  group.  He  says:  "  And  when  he  chose 
his  own  apostles  who  were  to  proclaim  his  gospel,  men  who  were  sinners 
above  every  sin,  in  order  that  he  might  show  that  he  came  not  to  call  the 
righteous  but  sinners,  at  that  time  he  manifested  that  he  was  the  Son  of 
God."  More  decisive  against  the  authorship  of  the  apostle  is  the  treat- 
ment of  the  Law.  Such  an  allegorical  interpretation  is  not  possible  in 
the  case  of  an  apostle  who  was  a  Levite.  The  allegorism  and  style  of 
the  letter  point  toward  an  author  living  in  Alexandria. 

The  place  of  origin. — The  contents  and  character  of  the  letter  help 
to  fix  the  place  of  its  origin,  if  not  the  name  of  its  author.  In  its  negative 
aspect  the  letter  is  a  polemic  against  Judaism,  at  least  in  its  ceremonial 
requirements.  He  seeks  to  give  a  spiritual  interpretation  to  all  the  com- 
mands of  the  Law.'  But  in  addition  to  the  anti-Judaistic  p\irpose, 
the  author  has  the  positive  aim  to  build  up  Christian  life.  Life,  right- 
eousness, and  love,  he  says,  are  the  three  ordinances  of  the  Lord.  In 
opposition  to  Judaism,  he  shows  that  the  way  to  attain  the  goal  of  the 
Christian  faith  is  by  means  of  an  inner  life,  rather  than  by  the  observance 
of  external  forms,  though  he  comes  perilously  near  formalism  in  his 
attitude  toward  baptism.  A  new  creation,  the  indwelling  of  Christ,  cir- 
cumcision of  the  heart,  patience,  fear,  and  self-restraint  are  aids  to  faith 

'  Cruttwell,  A  Literary  History  of  Early  Christianity,  I,  52,  says:  "The  general 
argument  of  the  treatise  is  to  prove  that  Judaism,  at  any  rate  in  its  ceremonial  aspect, 
is  not  an  expression  of  the  mind  of  God,  but  a  carnal  misinterpretation  of  command- 
ments that  were  from  the  first  intended  to  be  wholly  spiritual." 

44 


APPEARANCE  OF  COSMOLOGICAL  FUNCTION   OF  CHRIST  4$ 

instead  of  sacrifices,  fasts,  and  the  keeping  of  Sabbaths.  Allegorism 
is  a  marked  characteristic  of  the  work  and  finds  expression,  for  example, 
in  his  interpretation  of  the  command  not  to  eat  swine.  It  means,  he 
says,  that  they  shall  not  cleave  to  men  who  are  like  unto  swine.'  In 
the  same  manner  he  interprets  many  other  commands.  Such  allegorism 
creates  a  strong  probability  in  favor  of  Alexandria  as  the  place  of  its  origin. 
The  date. — There  are  some  fairly  reliable  data  for  determining  the 
earliest  and  latest  limits  of  its  date.  The  absence  of  reference  to  Gnosti- 
cism fixes  the  latest  limit  at  about  130  a.d.  Harnack  regards  that  as  a 
rather  late  date  for  it.  The  earliest  limit  is  fixed  by  the  use  of  the  Gospel 
of  Matthew,  unless  we  may  assume  that  the  author  used  some  of  the 
sources  of  Matthew.  "The  many  called  and  few  chosen"  of  IV.  14 
is  a  reflection  of  Matt.  12:14.  By  giving  a  late  date  to  Matthew  the 
earliest  limit  of  this  book  would  be  in  the  beginning  of  the  second  century. 
The  fact  that  the  book  shows  no  close  connection  with  the  apostles  tends 
to  put  it  as  far  as  may  be  away  from  the  apostolic  group.  With  the  late 
date  agrees  XVI.  4:  "Behold  they  that  pulled  down  this  temple  shall 
build  it.  So  it  cometh  to  pass;  for  because  they  went  to  war  it  was 
pulled  down  by  their  enemies.  Now  also  the  very  servants  of  their 
enemies  shall  build  it  up."  It  seems  best  with  Harnack  to  interpret 
this  as  a  reference  to  the  reign  of  Hadrian.  He  was  in  Syria  and  Pales- 
tine in  130,  131  A.D.,  and  gave  orders  to  build  the  city;  and  in  132  a.d. 
came  the  insurrection  and  destruction  of  the  city.'  The  present  "it 
cometh  to  pass"  seems  to  imply  that  this  work  of  building  up  the  city 
was  going  on  when  this  letter  was  written,  and  the  final  destruction  of 
the  city  had  not  yet  taken  place.  We  may  safely  take  this  letter  as  a 
monument  of  Alexandrian  Christianity,  originating  near  130  a.d. 

B.      HERMAS 

The  author. — The  author  gives  us  the  geographical  setting  of  his 
work  and  tells  us  something  about  himself.  In  the  first  "Vision"  he  is 
in  Rome  by  the  River  Tiber;  and  in  the  second  "Vision"  he  is  on  the 
way  to  Cumae.  The  first  sentence  gives  the  information  that  he  was  at 
one  time  a  slave.  He  says:  "The  master,  who  reared  me,  had  sold  me 
to  one  Rhoda  in  Rome."  The  Muratorian  Fragment  says  that  he  was  a 
brother  of  Pius,  whose  episcopate  lasted  from  140-55  a.d.  This  relation- 
ship is  very  generally  accepted  now,  though  Origen  says  that  he  is  the 
Hermas  saluted  by  Paul  in  Rom.  16: 14,  and  some  others  have  proposed 
a  Hermas  who  was  a  contemporary  of  Clement,  90-100,  and  who  is  other- 
wise unknown. 

•  X.  3.  » Harnack,  GcsckickU,  II,  S.  257-67. 


46  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

The  dale. — ^The  date  of  the  book  is  about  140  a.d.  Hermas  knows 
nothing  of  the  questions  that  agitated  the  church  soon  after  this  date, 
or  at  least  he  gives  no  clear  hint  of  the  activity  of  Valentinus.  Hamack 
thinks  that  parts  of  the  book  may  have  been  written  as  early  as  no  a.d., 
but  that  the  final  redaction  was  made  about  140  a.d.' 

The  character  of  the  work. — The  book  consists  of  visions,  mandates, 
and  similitudes.  Under  these  various  forms  it  presents  a  vivid  picture 
of  the  church  at  Rome  at  this  time.  Hermas  inveighs  against  wealth 
as  one  of  the  sins  of  the  church.  In  Vision  III.  9:6,  he  says:  "Look  ye 
therefore,  ye  that  exult  in  your  wealth,  lest  they  that  want  shall  moan, 
and  their  moaning  shall  go  up  unto  the  Lord,  and  ye  with  your  (abund- 
ance of)  good  things  be  shut  outside  the  door  of  the  tower."  In  Simili- 
tude I,  he  says  that  for  fields  they  should  buy  the  poor.  The  possession  of 
enough  to  eat,  and  more  than  enough,  by  some,  whihs  others  are  suffering 
from  want,  is  a  condition  against  which  he  speaks.  Such  sins  as  abuse 
of  wealth,  extravagance,  adultery,  lying,  anger,  betrayal  of  parents  are 
sp>oken  against.  The  warnings  concerning  false  prophets  are  significant, 
and  indicate  one  of  the  conditions  existing  in  the  church.  The  false 
prophet  is  denounced  severely:  "Being  empty  himself,  he  giveth  empty 
answers  to  empty  enquirers;  for  whatsoever  enquiry  may  be  made  of 
him,  he  answereth  according  to  the  emptiness  of  the  man."*  He  gives 
the  marks  by  which  the  false  prophet  may  be  distinguished  from  the 
true,  and  speaks  of  the  havoc  that  the  false  prophet  is  working  in  the 
church,  leading  men  astray.  The  virtues  insisted  upon  are  faith,  conti- 
nence, simplicity,  guilelessness,  reverence,  knowledge,  love,  truthfulness, 
purity,  mutual  helpfulness,  and  such  things. 

The  object  of  the  book  is  the  reformation  of  the  church  at  Rome. 

C.      THE   LETTER  TO  DIOGNETUS 

The  author. — The  writer  is  unknown.  The  letter  is  addressed  to 
Diognetus,  and  Lightfoot  thinks  that  it  is  possible  that  he  is  the  one  who 
was  the  teacher  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 

The  date. — The  greatest  uncertainty  still  prevails  concerning  the 
date  of  this  letter.  Lightfoot  thinks  that  no  certainty  is  possible.  On 
the  whole  he  thinks  that  it  belongs  about  the  middle  of  the  second  cen- 
tury. Hamack  dates  it  much  later.  He  quotes  Donaldson  who  puts 
it  in  the  time  of  the  Renaissance.  But  he  himself  thinks  that  it  belongs 
in  the  third  century,  or  at  the  end  of  the  second.  The  theology  of  chaps. 
VII-X  he  regards  as  coming  after  the  gnostic  fight  and  built  on  the 

'Hamack,  GeschichU,  II,  S.  257-67. 
» Mandate  XI. 


APPEARANCE  OP  COSMOLOGICAL  PITNCTION  OP  CHRIST  47 

results  of  this  conflict.*  But  the  statements  of  these  chapters  concern- 
ing the  nature  of  the  one  who  came  to  earth  are  a  little  too  precise  and 
careful  to  indicate  that  the  gnostic  conflict  is  entirely  over.  The  writer 
defines  Christ  negatively  as  not  belonging  in  the  class  with  subalterns,  or 
angels,  or  rulers,  and  then  gives  the  positive  characterization  of  Christ 
that  puts  him  above  all  creatures.  His  conception  of  the  function  and 
rank  of  Christ  is  very  similar  to  that  of  Barnabas  and  Hermas,  and  for 
that  reason  this  letter  is  included  in  this  study  and  is  put  in  the  group 
with  these  two.  The  last  two  chapters  are  the  work  of  a  later  hand,  and 
therefore  are  not  considered  here. 

The  purpose. — The  purpose  of  the  letter  is  to  give  an  account  of  the 
God  whom  the  Christians  worship,  and  to  make  a  defense  of  the  Chris- 
tian's manner  of  life — a  life  of  kindness  and  affection  toward  the  brother- 
hood and  of  patient  endurance  of  death  under  persecution.  The  letter 
possesses  a  high  literary  quality.' 

I.    The  Christology  in  the  Letter  of  Barnabas 

I.      the   rank   which  he   gives   to   CHRIST 

The  marked  feature  in  the  Christology  in  this  letter  is  the  cosmo- 
logical  function  assigned  to  Christ.  In  V.  lo,  he  says:  "For  if  he  had 
not  come  in  the  flesh,  neither  would  men  have  looked  upon  him  and 
been  saved,  forasmuch  as  when  they  look  upon  the  sun  that  shall  cease 
to  be,  which  is  the  work  of  his  own  hands,  they  cannot  face  its  rays." 
He  goes  beyond  Hermas  here  in  ascribing  creation  to  Christ,  since 
Hermas  only  makes  Christ  the  sustaining  principle  of  creation.  Barna- 
bas gives  expression  to  this  exaltation  of  Christ  in  opposition  to  the 
humiliation  of  his  incarnation.  He  feels  the  objection  which  this 
humiliation  raises  against  the  dignity  of  Christ,  and  he  explains  the 
necessity  of  the  humiliation.  Christ  must  come  in  the  flesh  to  save 
men,  to  destroy  death,  to  show  the  way  of  life,  and  to  show  the  resurrec- 
tion. He  must  have  the  veil  of  the  flesh  thrown  over  his  glory  or  men 
could  not  bear  the  sight  of  him,  just  as  they  cannot  look  directly  upon  the 
sun.  But  if  men  could  not  thus  look  upon  the  sun,  much  less  could  they 
look  upon  him  who  created  the  sun.  In  close  connection  with  the  world- 
creative  power  of  Jesus  must  be  placed  his  spiritual  creation.    In  XVI.  8, 

'  Hamack,  Geschichte,  I,  S.  513-17. 

*  Cruttwell,  A  Literary  History  of  Early  Christianity,  I,  305,  says:  "Even  in  its 
mutilated  state  it  conveys  the  impression  of  high  literary  jwwer."  Swete,  Patristic 
Study,  chap,  v:  "The  paradox  of  Christian  conduct  is  painted  in  undying  words"; 
chap,  vi:  "The  love  of  the  atonement  and  the  righteousness  of  faith  are  handled  in  a 
mamier  unparalleled  in  early  Christian  literature." 


48  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOUC  FATHERS 

he  says:  "Hoping  in  the  Name  we  became  new,  created  afresh  from  the 
beginning."  This  is  his  allegorical  interpretation  of  building  a  temple 
to  the  Lord.  He  gives  up  the  material  temple  to  destruction,  but  he 
builds  a  temple  in  the  hearts  of  men. 

In  close  connection  with  the  above  function  must  be  placed  the  power 
of  Christ  to  destroy  death  and  raise  the  dead.'  These  three  statements 
give  a  most  complete  statement  of  the  creative  power  of  Christ:  he 
created  the  world;  he  creates  men  anew;  and  he  raises  men  from  the 
dead. 

Barnabas  and  Hermas  agree  in  one  particular  in  the  pre-existence 
of  Christ.  They  put  Christ  with  God  before  the  creation  of  the  world. 
God  says  to  the  Son:  "Let  us  make  man  in  our  image."*  Christ  was 
with  God  when  the  Father  was  planning  creation.  Barnabas  is  inter- 
ested especially  to  show  the  priority  of  Christ  to  the  prophets  and  the 
Old  Covenant.  The  prophets  received  grace  from  Christ  and  prophe- 
sied concerning  him.  Barnabas  takes  up  the  objection  urged  by  men 
that  Christ  is  the  son  of  David.  The  idea  which  he  is  combating  is 
that  Christ  is  only  the  son  of  David.  He  says:  " David  himself  prophe- 
sieth  being  afraid  and  understanding  the  error  of  sinners.  The  Lord 
said  unto  my  Lord  sit  thou  on  my  right  hand  until  I  set  thine  enemies 
for  a  footstool  under  thy  feet."'  Then  he  quotes  a  saying  which  he 
says  is  from  Isaiah:  "The  Lord  said  unto  my  Christ,  the  Lord,  of  whose 
right  hand  I  laid  hold,  that  the  nations  shall  give  ear  before  him,  and  I 
will  break  down  the  strength  of  kings."  Then  he  says:  "See  how 
David  calleth  him  Lord,  and  calleth  him  not  son."  In  this  way  he  shows 
the  superiority  of  Christ  to  the  Judaic  system.  The  passages  which 
declare  his  incarnation  witness  to  his  pre-existence.  He  is  about  to 
become  manifest  in  the  flesh;  he  appears  in  person.^  In  one  reference 
to  the  incarnation  he  calls  Christ  God,  apparently  in  the  fullest  sense  of 
the  word.  He  says:  " Lest  haply  they  should  cease  to  fear  the  God  who 
is  over  both  of  you;  for  he  came  not  to  call  with  respect  to  persons,  but 
to  call  those  whom  the  Spirit  had  prepared.  "5  He  thinks  of  Christ  as 
manifest  in  the  flesh. 

He  shows  the  dignity  of  Christ  by  the  authority  which  he  ascribes 
to  him.  Christ  is  often  given  the  title  6  Kvpioi,  which  designates  his 
authority  over  the  Christian  community.  He  has  authority  as  judge  to 
determine  the  final  destiny  of  men.  He  is  Lord  and  future  judge  of 
quick  and  dead.  And  then,  as  Lord  of  the  whole  world,  he  has  universal 
dominion.' 

•Chap.V.  3  XII.  II.  sXrX.  7. 

» V.  s.  <  VI.  7;  XIV.  s.  « VII.  2;  V.  15. 


APPEARANCE  OF  COSMOLOGICAL  FUNCTION  OF  CHRIST  49 

The  idea  of  subordination  is  present,  but  only  in  the  title  "Son," 
which  does  not  strongly  express  it,  and  in  a  statement  made  in  XIV.  6: 
"It  is  written  how  the  Father  chargeth  him  to  deliver  us  from  darkness." 
But  almost  no  place  is  given  to  the  thought  of  subordination  by  this 
author. 

The  same  work  and  function  are  ascribed  both  to  Christ  and  to  God, 
but  the  two  names  are  not  conjoined  in  the  same  expression.  In  VI.  ii, 
re-creation  is  ascribed  to  the  Father,  and  in  XVI.  8  and  XII.  5,  to  the 
Son.  In  XXI.  5,  God  is  called  Lord  of  the  whole  world,  and  in  V.  5, 
Jesus  is  said  to  be  Lord  of  the  whole  world.  This  attitude  toward  the 
Father  and  the  Son  suggests  the  equality  of  the  two,  even  more  perhaps 
than  a  conjoined  expression.  That  which  is  done  by  the  one  may  be 
said  to  be  done  by  the  other.  According  to  the  representation  of  Barna- 
bas, Christ  created  the  world;  he  was  associated  with  the  Father  in 
coimsel  concerning  the  creation  of  the  world;  he  has  universal  dominion, 
as  also  God  has;  he  re-creates  men,  giving  to  them  eternal  life;  he  is 
judge  of  the  quick  and  dead;  and  once  he  is  called  God  who  is  over  both 
master  and  servant.  In  all  of  these  relations  Christ  is  put  on  an  equality 
with  God,  and  is  called  God.  With  such  a  high  Christology  it  is  difl&cult 
to  see  how  such  an  author  as  Cruttwell  can  say:  "There  is  little  doubt 
the  author  accepted  the  divinity  of  Christ,  but  the  idea  is  not  clearly 
expanded."'  It  is  just  in  this  author  that  we  find  the  fullest  expansion 
of  the  idea  of  the  divinity  of  Christ  that  is  given  by  any  one  of  the  apos- 
tolic Fathers. 

2.     THE  FUNCTION   OF  CHRIST'S   DEATH 

In  accordance  with  his  allegorical  method,  Barnabas  makes  many 
things  that  have  preceded  in  the  Old  Covenant  to  be  types  of  the  death 
of  Jesus.  Isaac  about  to  be  offered  by  his  father  is  a  type  of  the  death 
of  Jesus.  The  accursed  goat,  the  scarlet  wool  twisted  on  the  tree,  the 
heifer  that  is  burned,  the  brazen  serpent,  Moses  with  his  hands  stretched 
out  in  battle,  all  these  are  types  of  the  death  of  Jesus.*  But  most  of 
these  passages  are  colorless  so  far  as  their  teaching  relates  to  the  fxmction 
of  his  death.  For  example,  it  is  said  in  V.  5:  "if  the  Lord  endured  to 
suffer  for  our  soul"  (irepl  t^s  "/^XV?  ^h-*^v)-  This  does  not  indicate  in 
what  way  his  suffering  was  for  our  soul.  In  V.  i,  2,  the  author's  con- 
ception of  Christ's  death  is  made  more  clear.  Here  he  says:  "For 
this  purpose  he  endured  to  deliver  his  flesh  to  corruption,  that  by  the 
remission  of  sins  we  might  be  cleansed  which  is  by  the  blood  of  his 
sprinkling."    His  death  had  for  its  purpose  our  cleansing  by  the  for- 

'  A  Literary  History  of  Early  Christianity,  I,  51. 

»VII.  5,  7;  VIII.  I,  2;  XII.  2. 


50         THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

giveness  of  sins,  and  it  achieved  its  end.  The  cleansing  and  the  forgive- 
ness are  the  same  fact  regarded  in  different  aspects.  His  death  is 
related  to  the  cleansing  or  forgiveness  both  purposely  and  effectively. 
The  relation  which  the  author  conceives  the  death  to  sustain  to  the 
pardon  is  indicated  also  by  his  quotation  of  a  part  of  Isa.,  chap.  53. 
There  the  servant  is  a  penal  substitute  for  the  sins  of  others,  and  the 
application  of  this  passage  here  to  Christ  favors  the  view  that  the  author 
regarded  the  death  of  Christ  as  substitutionary.  The  statement  in 
VII.  2  looks  in  the  same  direction.  Here  he  says:  "If  then  the  son  of 
God,  being  Lord  and  future  judge  of  quick  and  dead,  suffered  that  his 
wound  might  give  us  life,  let  us  believe  that  the  son  of  God  could  not 
suffer  except  for  our  sakes."  The  author  is  seeking  to  maintain  the 
majesty  of  Christ.  But  the  humiliation  and  suffering  are  a  standing 
objection  to  his  exaltation.  So  he  declares  that  there  is  nothing  in 
Christ  which  calls  for  suffering.  The  ground  for  the  suffering  is  in  the 
sin  of  men,  and  comes  from  Christ's  relation  to  the  sin  of  men.  His 
wound  is  intended  to  give  life  to  men.  The  designation  of  the  death  of 
Christ  by  "wound"  shows  that  the  thought  of  the  Isaiah  passage  has  per- 
meated his  mind.  The  idea  of  substitution  seems  manifest  in  VIII.  i,  2. 
When  the  sins  of  men  are  full  grown,  they  take  a  heifer  and  slaughter  it 
and  burn  it  and  then  the  people  are  purified  by  the  sprinkling  of  the 
ashes  upon  them.  Jesus  is  the  calf,  and  he  is  offered  by  sinners  to 
purify  them.  In  XI.  i,  7,  baptism  and  the  cross  are  joined  together  to 
secure  the  remission  of  sins.  The  primary  purpose  of  the  author  is  not 
to  give  the  function  of  Christ's  death,  but  rather  to  show  that  all  the 
events  in  the  previous  Jewish  history  point  to  Christ,  and  have  signifi- 
cance only  in  relation  to  him. 

3.     THE  CONSTRUCTIVE  ASPECT  OF  THE  SOTERIOLOGICAL  WORK  OF  CHRIST 

The  author  emphasizes  the  graces  of  the  Christian  life  more  than 
faith  as  the  root  of  the  life.  This  is  true  even  apart  from  the  "two  ways" 
section.  Carefulness,  fear,  patience,  long  suffering,  self-restraint — 
this  is  the  aspect  of  the  life  which  he  sees  and  upon  which  he  lays  stress. 
There  is,  however,  the  teaching  that  men  must  have  faith.  They  believe 
on  God;  they  rest  their  hope  and  fear  on  Jesus.'  The  clearest  statement 
of  faith  in  Jesus  is  found  in  IV.  8:  "That  the  covenant  of  the  beloved 
Jesus  might  be  sealed  unto  our  hearts  in  the  hope  which  springeth  from 
faith  in  him."  Here  faith  is  made  the  source  of  life.  In  his  opposition 
to  Jewish  formalism  he  dwells  upon  the  spirit  rather  than  the  letter  as 
essential  to  life. 

'XI.  II. 


APPEARANCE  OF  COSMOLOGICAL  FXJNCTION  OF  CHRIST  5 1 

Christ  carries  on  his  work  in  the  life  through  dwelling  in  men.  In  VI- 
14,  15,  he  says:  "He  himself  was  to  be  manifested  in  the  flesh  and  dwell 
in  us.  For  a  holy  temple  unto  the  Lord,  my  brethren,  is  the  abode  of 
our  heart."  The  fullest  development  of  dwelling  in  the  hearts  of  men  is 
given  in  XVI.  7-10.  But,  according  to  this  passage,  the  one  who  dwells 
in  the  heart  is  God,  as  in  VI.  14,  15  it  is  Christ. 

4.     ESCHATOLOGY 

Barnabas  has  a  fully  developed  doctrine  of  the  last  things.  He  has  a 
number  of  names  for  the  Evil  One.  He  calls  him  the  "Black  One," 
"the  Active  One,"  "the  lord  of  the  season  of  iniquity,"  "the  Lawless 
One."'  In  XVIII.  2,  the  person  designated  by  these  different  names 
is  called  "the  Lawless  One"  and  is  identified  with  Satan.  There  is  no 
evidence  that  he  identifies  him  with  any  earthly  ruler.  The  nature  of 
the  Evil  One  is  sufficiently  indicated  by  his  names.  Barnabas  represents 
that  the  Evil  One  has  the  authority  in  this  age.  He  says  in  II.  i :  "  See- 
ing then  that  the  days  are  evil,  and  that  the  Active  One  himself  has  the 
authority,  we  ought  to  give  heed  to  ourselves  and  to  seek  out  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  Lord."  There  is  an  order  of  things  in  which  the  AcUve 
One  has  dominion,  but  Christians  do  not  belong  to  this  order  and  are 
not  under  his  rule.  They  must  be  on  their  guard  lest  he  shall  effect 
an  entrance  into  their  ranks.  His  reign  shall  last  six  thousand  years, 
until  the  end  of  the  present  world.  Barnabas  interprets  God's  com- 
pletion of  creation  in  six  days,  and  his  resting  at  the  end  of  the  period, 
to  mean  that  the  world  will  come  to  an  end  in  six  thousand  years,  and  then 
the  Active  One  shall  be  destroyed  along  with  the  earth,  and  then  the 
Sabbath  rest  shall  begin.  He  has  a  number  of  expressions  which  show 
that  he  conceives  the  end  of  the  world  to  be  near  at  the  time  when  he  is 
writing.  He  urges  them  to  give  no  relaxation  to  their  souls  that  they 
should  be  at  liberty  to  consort  with  sinners  and  wicked  men,  for  the  last 
offense  is  at  hand.  Again,  he  says:  "  Wherefore  let  us  take  heed  in  these 
last  days."  The  Beloved  is  hastening  and  coming  to  his  inheritance,  and 
to  hasten  his  coming  the  Master  has  cut  the  days  short.  For  he  says: 
"The  day  is  at  hand,  in  which  everything  shall  be  destroyed  together 
with  the  Evil  One.  The  Lord  is  at  hand  and  his  reward."*  Christ  is 
the  judge.  As  such  he  is  called  "Christ,"  "Son  of  God,"  "his  son," 
and  "the  Lord."'  The  order  of  events  for  the  last  things  is,  first,  the 
coming  of  the  Lord;  then  the  resurrection,  followed  by  the  judgment, 
the  destruction  of  everything,  together  with  the  Evil  One;  the  reward 

•  11.  i;  IV.  13;  XVm.  2;  XV.  s. 

•  IV.  3, 9.  » V.  7;  vin.  2;  XV.  s;  xxi.  3. 


52  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

of  the  righteous;  and,  last,  the  making  of  a  new  earth,  when  "he  shall 
change  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the  stars,  and  then  shall  he  truly  rest." 
The  judgment  is  made  on  the  basis  of  conduct  and  character.  "If 
he  be  good,  his  righteousness  shall  go  before  him  in  the  way;  if  he  be 
evil,  the  recompense  of  his  evil  doing  is  before  him."* 

II.    The  Christology  in  Hermas 

I.      THE   rank   of   CHRIST 

The  two  features  of  Hermas  which  put  him  in  the  rank  of  the  high 
Christologists  of  this  period  are,  first,  the  cosmological  function  that  he 
assigns  to  Christ,  and,  second,  the  boundless  limits  of  his  authority. 
Christ  sustains  the  whole  world  and  he  is  Lord  of  the  whole  world.  But 
in  connection  with  this  rank  there  is  some  material  that  apparently 
gives  to  Christ  a  distinctly  lower  position,  making  him  not  only  sub- 
ordinate to  the  Father,  but  under  the  authority  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
subject  to  the  judgment  of  the  heavenly  tribunal — the  Father,  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  the  glorious  angels.  Hermas  himself  sees  that  his 
parable,  in  which  he  represents  the  Son  as  a  slave,  apparently  degrades 
the  Son,  and  he  has  the  speaker  answer  the  objection  which  he  himself 
makes.  He  then  vigorously  repudiates  the  intention  to  lower  the  Son 
of  God,  but  maintains  on  the  contrary  that  he  exalts  Christ.  The 
confusion  of  thought,  or  misinterpretation,  is  only  that  which  is  char- 
acteristic of  this  kind  of  writing,  consisting  of  visions  and  parables.  In 
the  case  of  Hermas  the  misinterpretation  has  arisen  from  a  failure  to 
maintain  a  distinction  which  he  has  made  with  a  fair  degree  of  clearness. 
He  treats  the  person  of  Christ  under  three  different  aspects:  (i)  the 
incarnate  Christ;  (2)  the  pre-existent  Christ;  and  (3)  the  Christ  apart 
from  any  idea  of  humiliation,  whether  pre-incamate  or  post-incarnate. 
Naturally  the  afl5rmations  made  concerning  one  of  these  phases  of 
Christ's  life  do  not  apply  to  another,  and  a  consistent  representation  of 
the  person  of  Christ  will  be  obtained  only  if  the  different  phases  are  kept 
distinct.  Furthermore,  it  is  scarcely  to  be  hoped  that  the  author  in  a 
book  of  this  character  will  always  take  pains  to  make  clear  which  phase 
of  Christ's  life  he  has  in  mind,  or  that  he  will  always  be  entirely  con- 
sistent. Bearing  this  in  mind,  we  may  examine  his  conception  of 
Christ  as  presented  under  the  three  forms. 

(i)  The  incarnate  Christ. — Here  it  must  be  noted  that  he  identifies 
the  incarnate  Christ  with  the  pre-existent  Son  of  God.  This  identi- 
fication is  made  in  Similitude  IX.  12:1-3.    The  "Rock"  is  the  pre- 

'V.  7;  XXI.  3;  XV.  s;  IV.  12. 


APPEARANCE   OF  COSMOLOGICAL  FUNCTION  OF  CHRIST  53 

existent  Son  of  God,  older  than  all  creation.  The  "  Gate  "  is  the  incar- 
nate Son,  and  is  made  "recent"  because  the  pre-existent  Son  was 
"made  manifest  in  the  last  days  of  the  consummation." 

The  reality  of  the  human  nature  is  affirmed  repeatedly,  and  there  is 
no  evidence  of  Docetism,  such  as  Ignatius  combated. 

The  incarnate  Son  is  in  a  condition  of  humiliation.  This  state  is 
set  forth  most  strikingly  in  Similitude  V  by  the  parable  of  the  Estate 
and  Vineyard.  The  parable  is  as  follows:  A  householder  commits  a 
vineyard  to  a  slave;  the  slave  tends  the  vineyard  exceedingly  well; 
the  master  returns  and  is  greatly  pleased  with  the  servant's  work.  He 
then  calls  his  son  who  is  heir,  and  his  friends,  and  tells  them  that  he  has 
promised  the  slave  freedom  on  the  condition  of  good  and  faithful  service. 
Now,  because  of  the  especially  faithful  work  of  the  slave,  the  master 
wishes  to  give  to  him  not  only  his  freedom  but  to  make  him  joint-heir 
with  his  son.  Then  Hermas  gives  the  following  interpretation:  The 
estate  is  the  world;  the  servant  is  the  Son  of  God;  the  vines  are  the 
people  whom  God  had  planted;  the  fences  are  the  holy  angels;  the 
friends  and  advisers  are  the  angels  which  were  first  created.  When  the 
first  objection  to  his  parable  is  raised,  that  the  Son  of  God  is  degraded 
by  being  made  a  slave,  the  author  answers  by  an  evident  contradiction 
of  himself,  and  says  that  he  has  not  made  the  Son  a  servant.  For  he 
says:  "The  Son  of  God  is  not  represented  in  the  guise  of  a  servant,  but 
is  represented  in  great  power  and  lordship."  We  shall  return  to  this 
passage  later. 

In  Similitude  V.  6:5,  Hermas  says:  "The  Holy  Pre-existent  Spirit 
which  created  the  whole  creation  God  made  to  dwell  in  flesh  that  he 
desired."  This  statement  must  refer  to  the  relation  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  Jesus,  the  incarnate  Christ,  not,  as  some  have  thought,  to  an  incarna- 
tion of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  person  of  Jesus.  <rdpi  here  designates  the 
whole  person  of  Jesus.  The  same  use  is  seen  in  John  I.  14:  6  Ao'yo«  <rdpi 
iyivtTo.  In  a  similar  manner,  Jesus  is  designated  dn/p  in  Similitude 
IX.  6:8;  12:7,  8;  7:1:  o  ivijp  vi/^Xo?,  6  avijp  ....  6  iv8oi<K,  ivSoiov  xal 
fjiiyav  av8pa.  The  author  has  no  hesitation  in  speaking  of  Christ  as 
a  man  when  Christ  is  in  the  condition  of  humiliation,  and  he  leaves 
him  thus  in  certain  instances  without  any  more  precise  definition  of  his 
nature.  In  V.  7  below,  he  designates  human  nature  by  <Tdp$  and  speaks 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  dwelling  in  it:  "  For  all  flesh  which  is  found  undefiled 
and  unspotted,  wherein  the  Holy  Spirit  dwelt,  shall  receive  a  reward." 
The  relation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  vs.  5  to  <rdpi  is  just  the  same  as  in 
vs.  7.  There  is  no  more  reason  to  interpret  it  as  an  incarnation  in  one 
case  than  in  the  other.    The  Holy  Spirit's  holding  a  relation  to  the 


54  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

incarnate  Jesus  which  is  the  same  in  kind,  but  different  only  in  degree 
from  that  which  he  holds  to  men,  is  not  an  idea  which  is  new  to  Christian 
thought,  but  has  been  given  currency  by  the  gospels,  especially  by  the 
accounts  of  the  temptation.  And,  again,  <rdp$  must  denote  the  incarnate 
Jesus  here,  for  the  reason  that  the  reward  of  the  career  is  pronounced 
upon  the  <rdp$  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Holy  Spirit  would  scarcely  be 
represented  as  sitting  in  judgment  upon  his  own  incarnation.  More- 
over, the  treatment  of  the  flesh  as  the  incarnate  Jesus  is  consonant  with 
the  whole  representation  which  makes  so  clear  a  distinction  between  the 
pre-existent  and  the  incarnate  state  of  Jesus.  In  the  latter  he  may  be 
regarded  very  consistently  as  under  subjection  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
may  be  rewarded  for  his  relation  toward  the  Holy  Spirit  at  this  time. 
The  relation  represented  here  as  existing  between  Christ  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  not  the  only  relation  that  existed  between  the  two.  In  his 
state  of  humiliation  Christ  was  subject  to  the  Holy  Spirit  according  to 
Barnabas,  but  in  his  pre-existent  state  an  entirely  different  relation  was 
sustained  between  them.'  Some  confusion  is  introduced  by  Hermas 
calling  the  Holy  Spirit  "Son"  in  the  heavenly  tribunal  that  passes 
judgment  upon  the  incarnate  life  of  Jesus.  But  this  strange  title  comes 
from  the  exigency  of  the  parable  which  represents  the  householder's  heir 
as  his  son.  The  author  has  no  intention  to  confuse  the  Holy  Spirit  and 
Jesus  in  this  manner.  It  has  been  thought  by  some  that  this  reward 
of  Jesus,  making  him  a  partner  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  lends  support  to 
the  idea  of  adoption.  But  the  author  makes  the  pre-existence  of  Christ 
so  essential  a  part  of  his  conception  of  Christ  that  he  excludes  the  possi- 
bility of  adoption.  His  career  here  of  unfailing  obedience  and  stainless 
purity  won  for  his  earthly  career  the  judgment  of  the  heavenly  tribunal 
that  he  deserved  partnership  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  subordinate  position  of  the  incarnate  Christ  is  seen  f  urthCT  by  the 
statement  in  Similitude  V.  6 : 3  that  he  gives  the  people  the  law  which  he 
receives  from  the  Father. 

The  humiliation  of  his  incarnate  state  is  thus  shown  by  the  repre- 
sentation that  he  is  a  slave  over  the  vineyard  working  for  his  freedom, 
that  he  is  obedient  to  the  Holy  Spirit  just  as  other  men  ought  to  be,  that 
he  is  subordinate  to  the  Father,  that  he  is  judged  by  God,  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  the  glorious  angels,  and  that  he  is  rewarded  by  being  exalted 
to  partnership  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 

But  this  is  not  the  whole  representation  of  his  incarnate  state.  He 
ascribes  to  Christ  great  majesty  and  glory  in  this  state.  It  is  from 
this  point  of  view  that  Hermas  denies  the  "servant  guise"  to  the  Son. 

'  Domer,  Doctrine  of  the  Person  of  Christ,  Div.  I,  Vol.  I,  p.  386. 


APPEARANCE  OF  COSMOLOGICAL  FUNCTION  OF  CHRIST  $$ 

He  has  delivered  the  people  over  to  him.  The  Son  himself  controls  the 
angels  and  places  them  over  the  people  to  keep  watch.  The  Son  has 
cleansed  the  f)eople  of  their  sins  by  laboring  much  and  enduring  many 
toils.  He  has  shown  them  the  path  of  life.  The  exaltation  of  the  Son 
which  this  work  indicates  can  be  properly  appreciated  only  in  the  light 
of  Hennas'  view  that  the  world  itself  was  created  for  the  church.  To 
have  charge  of  the  church,  to  redeem  it  and  show  it  the  way  of  life  raises 
the  Son  to  a  most  exalted  position.  Hennas  goes  so  far  that  he  says 
that  Christ  himself  is  "Lord  of  the  people,  having  received  all  power 
from  his  Father."  Hermas  cannot  view  the  work  of  salvation  from 
sin  without  thinking  that  such  work  involves  all  power.  In  Mandate 
IV.  I : II,  where  he  is  considering  the  sin  of  adultery,  he  says  that  there 
is  One  who  is  able  to  give  healing;  "it  is  he  who  has  authority  over  all 
things."  Here  the  reference  is  to  Christ.  And  because  of  this  work  of 
healing,  he  predicates  of  Christ  all  authority.  The  limitless  extent  of 
his  power  is  inconsistent  with  the  "servant  guise,"  but  the  author  is 
breaking  away  from  his  parabolic  representation  and  presenting  Christ 
in  harmony  with  what  he  considered  his  real  nature.  It  is  possible  to 
abate  the  representation  which  Hermas  gives  of  Christ's  humiliation. 
His  earthly  work  manifestly  has  an  aspect  of  power  and  majesty.  Then 
whatever  there  may  be  of  humiliation,  such  as  his  sufferings,  may  be 
regarded  as  "the  work  of  his  free  love,  as  the  means  of  the  taking  away 
of  our  sins,  and  as  the  point  of  passage  to  higher  perfection."'  But 
however  great  the  power  and  majesty,  the  picture  of  the  incarnate  Christ 
which  he  gives  is  that  of  subordination  and  subjection. 

(2)  The  pre-existent  Christ. — He  was  with  the  Father  before  all  crea- 
tion, and  to  this  extent,  he  had  part  in  the  creation  of  all  things. 

(3)  His  conception  of  Christ  apart  from  all  humiliation. — He  is  great 
and  incomprehensible,  and  sustains  the  whole  world.  This  cosmological 
fimction  of  Christ  is  developed  here  in  connection  with  his  power  to 
sustain  men  who  bear  his  name  and  walk  according  to  his  command- 
ments. From  our  point  of  view,  Hermas  reaches  the  highest  Christology 
when  he  ascribes  to  Christ  a  part  in  creation,  and  the  function  to  sustain 
the  world.  But  this  is  not  the  author's  point  of  view.  He  reaches 
the  climax  when  he  ascribes  to  Christ  the  founding  of  the  church.  In 
Vision  II.  4 : 1 ,  he  says  that  the  church  was  created  before  all  things  and 
that  the  world  was  created  for  her  sake.  Evidently,  then,  the  greatest 
glory  that  could  be  ascribed  to  any  being  would  be  the  founding  of  the 
church.  And  this  work  he  ascribes  to  Christ.  In  Vision  III.  3:5,  he 
says  that  the  "tower"  is  the  church,  and  that  the  "tower  has  been 

« /Wtf.,  Div.  I,  Vol.  I,  p.  X31. 


56  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

founded  by  the  word  of  the  Ahnighty  and  Glorious  Name."  The  usage 
of  Hermas  leaves  little  doubt  that  by  the  "  Almighty  and  Glorious  Name  " 
he  means  to  designate  Christ.  In  Vision  III.  i :  9,  when  Hermas  desired 
to  sit  on  the  right  of  the  "lady"  on  the  couch,  he  was  forbidden,  and 
told  that  the  place  on  the  right  was  for  others,  even  for  those  who  have 
been  well-pleasing  to  God,  and  have  suffered  for  the  name's  sake.  The 
author  makes  a  distinction  here  by  his  statement  between  God  and  the 
"name."  But  if  the  language  itself  need  not  necessarily  indicate  two 
persons,  the  fact  is  made  certain  that  he  distinguishes  between  the  two, 
for  the  reason  that  the  Christians  were  not  suffering  on  account  of  the 
name  of  God,  but  on  account  of  the  name  of  Christ.  In  Vision  III.  2:1, 
he  makes  still  more  unmistakable  his  meaning:  "What  did  they  suffer, 
say  I.  Listen,  saith  she.  Stripes,  imprisonments,  great  tribulations, 
crosses,  wild  beasts,  for  the  name's  sake."  In  Similitude  IX.  13:2,  he 
speaks  of  some  who  bear  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God  and  not  its  power. 

The  high  rank  which  Hermas  ascribes  to  Christ  is  seen  also  from 
the  slight  emphasis  he  gives  to  the  subordination  of  Christ  to  God  the 
Father.  All  the  passages  which  speak  of  Christ's  subordination  are 
those  which  treat  of  his  incarnation.  This  state  is  of  short  duration, 
and  does  not  alter  the  essential  glory  which  belongs  to  him.  In  this 
state  he  receives  power  from  the  Father  and  is  the  agent  of  the  Father. 
God  calls  m'fen  to  be  saved  through  his  Son;  and  God  gives  command- 
ment through  his  Son. 

But  however  high  the  rank  which  Hermas  assigns  to  Christ,  and 
however  clear  the  distinction  which  he  makes  and  keeps  between  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  he  still  holds  to  the  unity  of  God,  as  is  seen 
from  Mandate  I:  "First  of  all  believe  that  God  is  one,  even  he  who 
created  all  things  and  set  them  in  order."'  He  makes  no  attempt  to 
show  how  he  reconciled  his  Christological  positions  with  the  unity  of  God. 

2.     THE  CONSTRUCTIVE  ASPECT  OF  CHRIST'S   SOTERIOLOGICAL  WORK 

Hermas  is  peculiar  among  the  writers  of  this  period  in  the  unusual 
place  which  he  gives  to  baptism  and  works  as  means  for  securing  salva- 
tion. In  two  passages  he  assigns  a  distinctly  soteriological  power  to 
baptism.  In  Mandate  IV.  3:1,  he  says:  "We  went  down  into  the 
water  and  obtained  remission  of  former  sins."  And  in  Vision  III.  3:5, 
it  is  said:  "  Hear  then  why  the  tower  is  builded  upon  waters;  it  is  because 
your  life  is  saved,  and  shall  be  saved,  by  water." 

In  another  passage  he  ascribes  salvation  to  works,  and  without 
indicating  the  relation  of  baptism  to  works.     In  this  instance  it  is 

'  Domer,  op.  cit.,  Div.  I,  Vol.  I,  pp.  129,  135. 


APPEARANCE  OP  COSMOLOGICAL  FXJNCTION  OF  CHSIST  57 

primarily  a  question  concerning  the  sins  of  Hernias.  He  has  been 
neglectful  of  his  family,  and  is  mixed  up  with  their  evil  transactions. 
The  writing  that  the  "lady"  has  given  him  says:  "But  herein  is  thy 
salvation,  in  that  thou  didst  not  depart  from  the  living  God,  and  in  thy 
simplicity  and  in  thy  great  continence.  These  have  saved  thee  if  thou 
abidest  therein;  and  they  save  all  who  do  such  things,  and  walk  in  guile- 
lessness  and  simplicity."'  But  these  good  works  belong  to  those  who  are 
already  in  the  "  tower,"  the  church.  This  is  clearly  true  of  Hermas,  and 
the  same  thing  may  be  fairly  supposed  to  be  true  of  the  "  all  who  do  such 
things."  So  the  righteous  works  do  not  save  them  apart  from  baptism. 
In  fact,  baptism  is  given  priority  to  works  in  the  process  of  salvation. 

The  case  is  not  the  same,  however,  in  the  relation  between  faith  and 
baptism.  Men  enter  into  the  "  tower  "  by  faith  as  well  as  baptism.  In 
Vision  III.  8:1-5  ^s  given  the  development  of  the  place  of  faith  in  salva- 
tion, and  as  a  means  of  entrance  into  the  church.  Hermas  sees  the 
" tower"  surrounded  and  guarded  by  seven  women.  Then  the  names  of 
these  women  are  given.  "The  first  of  them,  the  woman  with  the  strong 
hands,  is  called  Faith;  through  her  are  saved  the  elect  of  God."  And 
then  follow  the  names  of  the  others.  Then  Hermas  is  told  that  "who- 
soever shall  serve  these  women,  and  shall  have  strength  to  master  their 
works,  shall  have  his  dwelling  in  the  tower  with  the  saints  of  God." 

A  fourth  factor  also  enters  into  his  conception  of  salvation.  The 
Holy  Spirit  dwells  in  the  hearts  of  men  who  are  strong  in  faith  and 
gives  them  strength  to  master  evil  inclinations.*  On  the  basis  of  the 
indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  exhorts  men  to  put  anger  out  of  their 
hearts  very  much  after  the  manner  of  Paul's  appeal  to  the  Corinthians 
to  avoid  fornication  because  their  bodies  are  the  temple  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

Although  baptism  has  an  essential  part  in  his  plan  of  salvation,  and 
although  he  gives  an  emphasis  to  works  that  relates  him  closely  to  James, 
it  is  still  evident  that  faith  holds  the  most  fundamental  place  in  his  mind 
and  is  the  root  of  all  the  virtues.  In  Vision  III.  8:7,  he  makes  the 
statement  that  the  virtues  are  all  born  from  faith.  He  says:  "From 
faith  is  bom  continence,  from  continence  simplicity,  from  simplicity 
guilelessness,  from  guilelessness  reverence,  from  reverence  knowledge, 
from  knowledge  love."  And  in  Similitude  IX.  15,  when  he  is  naming  "the 
more  powerful  virgins,  those  that  are  stationed  at  the  comers,"  he  says 
that  the  first  is  faith.  Faith  as  the  root  of  the  Christian  life  thus  finds 
strong  emphasis  in  this  work. 

'  Vision  II.  3 : 2. 
'  Mandate  VI.  i,  3. 


$8  THE  CHRISTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

3.     ESCHATOLOGY* 

In  his  eschatology  he  gives  a  place  to  judgment  with  punishment  and 
reward,  and  there  is  a  coming  age,  but  no  judge  is  named.  The  end  of  the 
world  is  conceived  of  as  near.  The  "tower"  is  still  building,  but  it 
will  soon  be  built,  and  the  completion  of  the  "tower"  comes  at  the  end 
of  the  world.  The  only  purpose  of  the  world  is  to  minister  to  the  church, 
and  when  the  church  is  completed,  the  world  is  very  naturally  destroyed. 
The  destruction  will  be  by  fire.  This  fact  is  affirmed  in  Vision  IV.  3:1,2 
by  the  color  of  the  beast  that  Hermas  met.  He  says:  "The  black 
is  this  world  in  which  ye  dwell;  and  the  fire  and  blood  color  sheweth  that 
this  world  must  perish  by  fire."  There  are  two  classes  that  shall  be 
burned — the  sinners  and  the  "  Gentiles."  By  sinners  he  seems  to  desig- 
nate those  who  belong  in  some  way  to  the  Christian  fold,  but  have  proved 
to  be  false.  And  the  Gentiles  stand  apparently  in  opposition  to  the 
Christians.  This  whole  class  shall  be  burned  "because  they  knew  not 
him  that  created  them." 

III.    The  Christology  in  Diognetus 

I.     the  rank  which  he  assigns  to  CHRIST 

The  position  assigned  to  Christ  is  shown,  in  the  first  place,  by  his 
cosmological  function.  Christ  created  the  world  and  controls  all  the 
natural  world.'  The  writer  calls  Christ  the  Artificer  and  Creator  of  the 
universe,  and  in  VII.  2  says  that  all  the  elements  are  in  subjection  to 
him — "the  heavens  and  the  things  in  the  heavens,  the  earth  and  the 
things  in  the  earth,  the  sea  and  the  things  that  are  in  the  sea,  fire,  air, 
abyss,  the  things  that  are  in  the  heights,  the  things  that  are  in  the  depths, 
the  things  that  are  between  the  two."  The  universality  of  his  dominion 
is  thus  elaborated.  Furthermore,  he  was  with  the  Father  before  the 
creation  and  had  a  part  in  planning  the  universe. 

In  all  this  presentation,  however,  the  author  retains  in  some  measure 
the  idea  of  the  subordination  of  the  Son  to  the  Father.  The  Son  is 
the  agent  of  the  Almighty  Creator  of  the  universe,  the  invisible  God. 
God  created  the  universe  by  means  of  the  Son.  The  Son  was  also  sent 
by  the  Father.  And  the  "sending"  must  involve  some  superiority  on 
the  part  of  the  Father.  Still,  subordination  is  the  idea  that  is  least 
prominent  in  the  mind  of  the  author. 

'  In  all  the  other  writings  of  the  Apostolic  Fathers  where  eschatology  is  treated, 
it  has  a  direct  bearing  on  Christology.  Here,  though  eschatology  is  not  expressly 
related  to  Christology,  it  is  presented  to  give  completeness  to  the  treatment. 

» Chap.  VII. 


APPEASAMCE  OF  COSMOLOGICAL  FUNCTION  OF  CHSIST  59 

The  exact  revelation  that  Christ  gives  of  God  shows  the  rank  of 
the  Son.  It  has  been  suggested  that  the  author  loses  the  distinction 
between  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  that  Christ  is  God  manifested  in 
the  flesh.  But  the  names  of  Christ  keep  the  distinction  clear.  Christ 
b  the  "Son  of  God,"  "the  Only-Begotten  Son,"  "his  Beloved  Son," 
and  in  all  he  bears  a  relation  to  the  invisible  God.  The  character  of 
God,  however,  finds  expression  in  Christ.  The  writer  calls  Christ 
"the  one  righteous  man,"  "the  holy."'  The  highest  conception  that 
Christ  reveals  to  men  is  love,  the  love  of  God  in  giving  his  Son  a  ransom, 
the  holy  for  the  lawless.  Power  is  not  the  supreme  attribute  in  God, 
but  persuasion  and  gentleness.  And  in  these  respects  Christ  is  a  true 
reflection  of  God.  In  one  passage,  he  speaks  of  Christ  as  God  when  he 
says  in  VII.  4:  "He  sent  him  as  sending  God." 

The  pre-existence  of  Christ  shows  his  rank.  In  common  with 
Barnabas  and  Hermas,  the  writer  carries  back  the  existence  of  Christ 
to  a  time  before  the  creation  of  the  universe  and  makes  him  the  Father's 
counselor.' 

2.     THE  FUNCTION  OF  CHRIST's  DEATH 

This  subject  is  developed  in  chap.  IX.  God  has  borne  with  the 
sins  of  men.  Now  the  time  has  come  when  punishment  and  death  were 
manifestly  expected  as  a  recompense  for  sins.  Instead  of  visiting 
punishment  upon  men,  God  parted  with  his  own  Son  as  a  ransom  for 
them.  The  thing  from  which  the  Son  ransomed  men  was  not  the  power 
of  sin,  but  the  punishment  of  sin.  He  accomplished  this  work  by  his 
death,  the  holy  dying  for  the  lawless.  The  Son  of  God  justified  lawless 
and  ungodly  men.  The  author  expresses  his  wonder  and  amazement  at 
the  love  of  God  thus  shown  in  the  Son,  He  exclaims:  "O  the  sweet 
exchange,  O  the  inscrutable  creation,  O  the  unexpected  benefits;  that 
the  iniquity  of  the  many  should  be  concealed  in  the  righteous  man,  and 
the  righteousness  of  One  should  justify  many  that  are  iniquitous." 

3.    Christ's  revelation  of  god 

The  chief  function  of  Christ  in  relation  to  the  life  of  men,  apart 
from  his  atoning  work,  is  the  revelation  of  the  Father.  When  men 
apprehend  the  nature  of  God,  they  put  their  faith  in  him.  Then  their 
lives  are  made  strong  in  righteousness.  In  themselves  they  were  unable 
to  live  righteously,  but  by  faith  in  God  they  prevail  over  sin.  God 
becomes  to  them  "  teacher,  physician,  mind,  light,  honor,  glory,  strength 
and  Ufe." 

'DC.  5,9.  »IX.  I. 


6o  THE  CHMSTOLOGY  IN  THE  APOSTOLIC  FATHERS 

The  writer  has  no  program  of  last  things.  Only,  once  he  says  that 
gentleness  will  not  continue  forever.  "For  he  will  send  him  in  judg- 
ment, and  who  shall  endure  his  presence?"* 

Summary  of  the  Development  of  Christology  in  this  Group 

(i)  The  cosmological  function  assigned  to  Christ  is  the  one  marked 
feature  of  these  writings  which  places  them  in  advance  of  the  preceding 
group.  In  Barnabas  and  the  Epistle  to  Diognetus,  it  is  affirmed  that 
Christ  created  the  world.  All  three  of  these  writings  declare  that 
Christ  sustains  the  universe.  This  heightened  Christology  was  pre- 
pared for  by  Ignatius  in  the  important  function  which  he  assigned  to 
Christ  as  the  bringer  of  salvation  and  the  giver  of  life;  and  Second 
Clement  gives  a  hint  of  this  higher  development  in  his  reference  to  sal- 
vation as  a  work  of  Christ.  But  here  the  final  step  has  been  taken,  and 
Christ  is  affirmed  to  be  the  Creator  and  Maintainer  of  the  universe. 
(2)  There  is  also  an  advance  over  the  past  in  the  statement  of  the  uni- 
versality of  Christ's  dominion,  and  in  the  emphasis  which  is  put  upon  it. 
The  universality  of  his  dominion  is  most  fully  developed  in  the  Epistle  to 
Diognetus  VII.  2.  The  doctrine  is  stated,  however,  just  as  clearly  by 
both  Barnabas  and  Hennas.  (3)  The  existence  of  Christ  is  carried 
back  to  a  time  before  the  creation,  and  he  is  presented  as  associated  with 
God  the  Father  when  he  was  planning  the  creation  of  the  universe. 
When  God  thought  of  the  universe  and  formed  his  plan,  Christ  was  with 
him.  (4)  Christ  is  called  God.  (5)  The  idea  of  the  subordination  of 
Christ  to  God  almost  entirely  disappears. 

Conclusion 

The  result  of  this  study  has  been  the  discovery  of  a  clear  line  of 
christological  development  in  the  works  of  the  Apostolic  Fathers.  The 
development  is  in  the  relation  which  Christ  sustains  to  God.  In  the 
first  group  of  writings,  in  which  the  letter  of  Clement  of  Rome  holds 
the  leading  place,  Christ  is  represented  chiefly  as  an  agent  under  the 
authority  of  the  Father.  The  subordination  of  Christ  is  most  pro- 
nounced. 

In  the  second  group  of  writings,  in  which  Ignatius  is  the  chief  writer, 
Christ  attains  a  position  of  virtual  equality  with  God  in  respect  to  his 
soteriological  work.  He  is  conjoined  with  God  in  most  important 
functions  on  a  basis  of  equality,  and  is  designated  God. 

In  the  remaining  group,  the  final  step  in  the  progress  is  taken  and 
the  cosmological  function  is  assigned  to  Christ.  He  created  the  universe 
and  sustains  it. 


»vn.  6. 


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